the whole truth movie review 2021

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Whole Truth’ on Netflix, A Thai Film Full Of Vague Creepiness

Where to stream:.

• The Whole Truth (2021)

Not to be confused with the 2016 Keanu Reeves courtroom drama of the same name that’s also streaming on Netflix, The Whole Truth is a Thai suspense outing with notes of corporeal judgement and the kind of shocking secrets families so often paper over with a veneer of domestic harmony. The sun, the moon, and the truth are the only things that are real, one character muses early on. But none of that exists through the prism of a mysterious hole in the wall.

THE WHOLE TRUTH : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: It’s a typical weekday morning at the pleasant suburban home of executive Mai (Nicole Theriault) and her high school-age children Pim (Sutatta Udomsilp) and Putt (Nattapat Nimnirawat), with Mai preparing for a big promotion at work, Pim returning as captain of her cheerleading team, and Putt, the dreamer, making drawings in his sketchbook. Notably absent from this domestic tableau? A father. Putt, who wears a leg brace, is bullied at school; pretty, popular Pim is his fierce protector. But when a collision with a drunk driver lands Mai in the ICU with a coma, the grandparents Pim and Putt have never met arrive to take them in. Phong (Sombop Benjatikul) is terse and overbearing, while his wife Wan (Tarkia Tidatith) is distant, and suffers from dementia. Off to grandmother’s house they go, bewildered and wary.

The stilted atmosphere of their grandparents’ home is weird enough, but then Putt notices a hole in the living room wall. He looks through it, only to view a bizarre mirror image of the room he’s in, with the significant difference that it includes a creepy kid with decomposing skin and inky hair hanging in her face, black blood gushing from her mouth. Grandpa and Grandma deny the hole exists. “You kids are inveterate liars!” rages Phong. Gramps also kicks some chairs around down at the police precinct where he used to be captain — he wants answers about whose car smashed into his daughter’s vehicle, and suspects the local scion of a big shot developer.

Putt and Pim see more and more as they gaze into the hole; in fact, it seems to be showing them a version of their family’s past. Who is the creepy girl? Why is she holding a baby? And wait, is that the slumped figure of a man lying on the couch? And why is it that their grandparents either can’t or won’t admit to seeing the hole in the first place? If and when their mom awakens from her coma, there’s going to be a reckoning for this extended family. But even then, it’s unclear whether the whole truth can truly be revealed.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of? Whole Truth director Wisit Sasanatieng’s debut film, the 2000 Western genre mashup Tears of the Black Tiger , was the first film from Thailand to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Sasanatieng is also a screenwriter — he penned the Netflix titles Deep and and Nang Nak .

Performance Worth Watching: Pim has to manage her bullied kid brother, the cutthroats gunning for her on the cheerleading squad, the condition of her comatose mom, and the grandparents she’s never known who are almost creepier than whatever’s going on with the weird hole in the wall, and appropriately, Sutatta Udomsilp keeps Pim’s temperament simmering somewhere between a cool steadiness and harried ghost story fright.

Memorable Dialogue: “I think it’s this house. No wonder Mom never brought us here.” Putt and Pim apply their powers of teenage deductive reasoning to the creepiness that seeps from the woodwork in their grandparents’ house like ghost blood streaked with linseed oil.

Sex and Skin: There’s a thin subplot about Pim’s cheerleading rival leaking footage of her showering, but nothing is seen.

Our Take: While there are a few scenes at Pim and Putt’s school, the scene of the collision, and a few more scenes in their mother’s hospital room, what The Whole Truth mostly explores are homes, and the domestic scenes and internal spaces we’re conditioned to call safe. When Mai allows a classmate of Putt’s to come over after school, she unwittingly lets her son’s bully and her daughter’s tormentor operate freely inside her home. When the kids meet their grandparents, Wan gushes with misplaced sentiment. “You lived there as a child, don’t you remember?” she asks of Pim, as if the cliche of a grandmother’s house being a safe space will absolve them of the fact that Wan and Phong might as well be complete strangers to their grandkids. And once ensconced underneath their roof, with the old house creaking and thumping away and the hole appearing in the wall with its own revelations of a twisted family history, Pim and Putt discover that the house itself is a Pandora’s box of ugly secrets.

Whole Truth director Wisit Sasanatieng grooves on this, his camera crawling up and down dark staircases and always being conscious of the overhanging ceilings, just to ratchet up the claustrophobic vibes for Pim and Putt. There’s more than a bit of James Wan and the Insidious film series in that wiggy exploration of space.

Our Call: STREAM IT, mostly for the suspense. The Whole Truth gets some mileage from the Horror Movie Creepy Kid trope, but it’s in its reckoning with the falsehoods of domesticity that it truly shines.

Will you stream or skip the Thai thriller #TheWholeTruth on @netflix ? #SIOSI — Decider (@decider) December 6, 2021

Johnny Loftus is an independent writer and editor living at large in Chicagoland. His work has appeared in The Village Voice, All Music Guide, Pitchfork Media, and Nicki Swift. Follow him on Twitter: @glennganges

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Home » Movies » Movie Reviews

The Whole Truth (2021) review – a messy and exposed horror script

This review of the Netflix film The Whole Truth (2021) does not contain spoilers.

The Whole Truth may have a swivelling concept that terrorises the characters increasingly with each passing minute, but something is not quite pieced together about this horror film. The plot is leaning towards a final truth, but it fails at basic storytelling.

The opening premise reels you in; a mother of two children (Mia) ends up in a car accident with a drunk driver, and lands in hospital in a coma. Her two children, Putt and Pim, stay at their grandparents. Interestingly, they’ve never met their grandparents before. The longer they stay at the house, the more they notice a hole in a wall that seemingly looks into next door. The horrors come in waves as the children get closer to the truth.

And in practice , The Whole Truth has plenty of promise. The Netflix film tantalises the audience as much as the characters, but the exposition is too often, too amateur and over-delivered. Everytime one of the children sees the hole in the wall, the other enquires, “can you see the hole in the wall?” Yes, we can all see it. The director forgot that the audience have eyes and that a film is not a narrative read to them.

The Whole Truth misses the basics of a horror film; build the tension, entice the audience, leave words unspoken and encapsulate what the horror actually is. By the time you reach the end of this film, the twist is surplus to an overlong feature that could have been over in an hour.

The characters do their best with an exposed script, and it’s evident that the director was attempting to throw in as many horror tropes as possible. And admittedly, the use of sounds were effective, but this is a misfire and misses the point — even a story about the “horror of the manifested truth” is not enough to save the film.

And I find it a shame; there’s something promising about The Whole Truth but there’s a glaring issue with it that makes the two hours not worth your time.

What did you think of the Netflix film The Whole Truth (2021)? Comment below.

Article by Daniel Hart

Daniel is the co-founder of Ready Steady Cut and has served as Editor-in-Chief since 2017. Since then, Dan has been at the top of his game by ensuring that we only produce and upload content of exceptional quality and that we’re up to date with the latest additions to the streaming and entertainment world.

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The Whole Truth Reviews

This supernatural horror tale is better than one might expect, but not as good as it might have been.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 7, 2021

The Whole Truth gets some mileage from the Horror Movie Creepy Kid trope, but it's in its reckoning with the falsehoods of domesticity that it truly shines.

Full Review | Dec 6, 2021

The Whole Truth misses the basics of a horror film.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 2, 2021

Review: The Whole Truth (2021)

Image: ©Netflix

Streaming on Netflix from today is the Thai horror-thriller, The Whole Truth . The film – directed by Wisit Sasanatieng – stars Sompob Benjathikul, Sadanont Durongkaweroj, and Steven Isarapong, and follows the story of two siblings, who uncover some disturbing information about their family, while spending time at their grandparents’ house.

In the film, Pim and Putt go to live with their estranged grandparents, after their mother sustains life-threatening injuries in a car accident. Although the pair are unfamiliar with their elderly relatives, having not been aware of their existence before, they do their best to adapt to the current situation.  

Things seem to go well to begin with, but during their first evening at their new home, Pim and Putt notice a hole in the living room wall. Pim asks their grandfather if he plans on getting the hole repaired, but he doesn’t quite understand what she means and says he has no knowledge of any structural problems or blemishes.

When Pim shows her grandparents what she is referring to, they both claim they cannot see any hole. This seems incredibly odd to Pim and Putt as there is clearly a big gap in the wall.  

The next day, Putt peers into the hole and sees something disturbing. A short while later, Pim takes a look for herself and is equally as unnerved about what she sees.

But is this real or are they imagining it? And even if the hole isn’t quite what it appears to be, why are their grandparents acting so oddly about it?

When The Whole Truth began, I must admit it had me quite interested in the set up. The idea of the two siblings going to live with their estranged and somewhat kooky grandparents, had deep shades of The Visit (2015) about it, and I was intrigued about where the story was headed.

But around the midway point of the film, I started to find myself losing interest in the story, and as the picture moved into the second half, I began to get a little bored. Heck, at one point I even found myself zoning out and thinking about what items to add to my monthly grocery list – that’s how disinterested I started to become.

This is not to say The Whole Truth is a terrible movie, or the contents of my shopping list are far more important than an expensive feature film (although, they clearly are to me), but it is to say the film loses momentum. This loss of momentum begins once the children start to look into the hole, and from here the movie never really recovers.

One minute it is mildly interesting and the next minute it is not.

I won’t say what is behind the wall, but it is very underwhelming and rather generic. It is also something which is not scary in the least, and because of this, any tension that is built up at this point in the movie is instantly defused.

Things do pick up a touch as the film heads towards its resolution, but it only picks up momentarily. A few twists and turns are tossed at the screen, but they mostly fail to elicit any real excitement, and despite another quick burst of passable storytelling, it slumps back into dullsville once again.

The problem with The Whole Truth is, there’s nothing in this movie that hasn’t been seen or done much better in other pictures, and there is simply no escaping this. Even when it tries to conjure up something noteworthy, it falls short.

The cast do their best with the material they are given, but they mostly go through the motions of putting Tab A into Slot B, while faffing around looking for workable parts. The hope is that something is being constructed of value, but the reality is far from it.

Unfortunately, after two-and-a-bit hours, I couldn’t help but feel they’d wasted their time, and wasted my time in the process. The creepy, tense film I hoped it might be, didn’t pan out, and the overcooked offering that was served up tasted rather bland.

Ultimately what is presented with The Whole Truth is not very interesting. It is long-winded, and far too run-of-the-mill.

The film isn’t awful, but it’s not very good either. As a thriller it doesn’t thrill, and as a horror movie it doesn’t terrify; and sadly, that’s the whole truth.

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The Whole Truth – Netflix Review (2/5)

Posted by Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard | Dec 2, 2021 | 3 minutes

THE WHOLE TRUTH on Netflix is a new Thai horror movie. The core story is actually strong and has twists and turns. Unfortunately, with a runtime just over two hours, it is quite a bit too long. Read our full The Whole Truth movie review here!

THE WHOLE TRUTH is a new Netflix horror movie. This one is from Thailand and it does feature elements we’ve come to associate with Asian horror movies. Well, mostly the Japanese horror movies, but the style known from The Ring and  The Grudge  has been used worldwide since then.

This new Thai horror movie on Netflix has two main issues which I’ll get into later. Overall, they do result in this movie being a lot less entertaining than it could have been. A shame since the basic story is rather strong. Even if it does borrow from  several other familiar horror movies.

Continue reading our The Whole Truth movie review below and find it on Netflix now.

The two issues with this Thai horror movie on Netflix

For the record, let me just start by saying that there are definitely Thai horror movies with international quality. This one also has plenty of qualities that make it worth watching for any horror fan globally.

However, and here it comes, there are two rather big issues with  The Whole Truth .

First, it is  way  too long for the story being told. It takes a while to get started and also takes too long to get to the big reveal. Or rather big reveals . Like many horror movies, this one also has several twists before it’s all over. And yes, also a few twists too many from what you’ve been shown throughout this long runtime.

Also, while this movie has touches that reminded me of M. Night Shyamalan ‘s  The Visit , it isn’t a copy of that story. Sorry if that’s a spoiler, but I thought it was worth mentioning. This one is nowhere near the scary levels of that  movie, which I definitely did enjoy.

The second issue with  The Whole Truth is the use of CGI. There are some truly cool VFX scenes, but the CGI elements that contain blood are just too much. They feel off and fake. And not in any campy slasher way, which is otherwise easily excused.

Instead, it makes the scary scenes seem a lot less scary.

Having said this, there are quite a few scary moments in this new Thai horror movie on Netflix. Mostly due to the fact that a young girl has clearly been suffering. We’re talking about a young child here, which is always heartbreaking and terrifying.

Watch  The Whole Truth (2021) on Netflix now!

The Whole Truth (2021) was directed by Wisit Sasanatieng and the screenplay was written by Abishek J. Bajaj. I am not familiar with either, but they have several previous projects on their IMDb resumes  and  more on the way.

WANT A MORE ENTERTAINING THAI HORROR MOVIE Check out  The Pool  on Shudder – you can read our spoiler-free review of it here >

The core story of  The Whole Truth is actually strong and has a few solid twists and turns. Unfortunately, it also has too many twists and turns and its runtime of just over two hours, is too long.

Still, if you like a good horror mystery that will keep you guessing (and keep coming up with more reveals), then do check it out.

The Whole Truth (2021) is out on Netflix from December 2, 2021.

Director: Wisit Sasanatieng Writer: Abishek J. Bajaj Stars: Sutatta Udomsilp, Nattapat Nimjirawat, Sompob Benjathikul, Sadanont Durongkaweroj, Steven Isarapong

When two siblings stumble on a strange hole in the wall of their grandparents’ house, horrifying incidents reveal sinister secrets about their family.

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About The Author

Karina "ScreamQueen" Adelgaard

I write reviews and recaps on Heaven of Horror. And yes, it does happen that I find myself screaming, when watching a good horror movie. I love psychological horror, survival horror and kick-ass women. Also, I have a huge soft spot for a good horror-comedy. Oh yeah, and I absolutely HATE when animals are harmed in movies, so I will immediately think less of any movie, where animals are harmed for entertainment (even if the animals are just really good actors). Fortunately, horror doesn't use this nearly as much as comedy. And people assume horror lovers are the messed up ones. Go figure!

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The Whole Truth

When two siblings stumble on a strange hole in the wall of their grandparents' house, horrifying incidents reveal sinister secrets about their family. When two siblings stumble on a strange hole in the wall of their grandparents' house, horrifying incidents reveal sinister secrets about their family. When two siblings stumble on a strange hole in the wall of their grandparents' house, horrifying incidents reveal sinister secrets about their family.

• Wisit Sasanatieng
• Abishek J. Bajaj
• Sompob Benjathikul
• Tarika Tidatid
• Sutatta Udomsilp
• 76 User reviews
• 20 Critic reviews

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• Goofs When Phong is checking that his gun was loaded, the bullets had already been fired as can be seen by the firing pin indents on them.

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• Dec 29, 2021
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• December 2, 2021 (Argentina)
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• Runtime 2 hours 5 minutes

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The whole truth, common sense media reviewers.

Graphic violence, bullying in supernatural horror tale.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

One of the movie's storylines concerns the mistrea

Teen brother and sister endure bullying and cyberb

Thai characters in Thai horror movie. One of the m

Horror imagery and jump scares throughout. Demonic

Talk of how the supposed best friend of one of the

Strong language throughout, including "f--k" used

Man shown passed out drunk with a bottle of Jägerm

Man shown passed out drunk on a couch, accused of

Parents need to know that The Whole Truth is a Thai supernatural thriller (in Thai with English subtitles) in which a teen brother and sister find a portal in a wall that shows them what really happened in their family's past. Expect horror movie violence and imagery throughout. A man is shown committing…

Positive Messages

One of the movie's storylines concerns the mistreatment of kids with disabilities by a family member.

Positive Role Models

Teen brother and sister endure bullying and cyberbullying, find ways to stand up to it.

Diverse Representations

Thai characters in Thai horror movie. One of the main characters is a teen boy who wears a leg brace and struggles with his disability while trying to fend off a bully who has blackmailed him.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Horror imagery and jump scares throughout. Demonic baby vomits torrents of blood. Little girl shown dead after consuming rat poison. Man commits suicide by placing a gun into his mouth -- blood shown splattering against the wall after the gunshot. In flashback scene, man shot and killed, then his death is made to look like a suicide. One of the lead characters suffers a concussion and coma after getting into a head-on collision with a drunk driver. Drunk driver pulled out of their car, shot, doused in the alcohol he has been drinking, then set on fire. Close up of dead cat's face. Nightmare image of girl being shot as blood flows out of her mouth. Teen boy spies on and is physically aggressive towards teen girl lead character. Character threatens to release a video online of a girl taking a shower in the school locker room.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Talk of how the supposed best friend of one of the lead characters, a fellow cheerleader, slept with a boy in exchange for taking a video of her best friend while showering in the locker room.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Strong language throughout, including "f--k" used by adults and teens. Also: "s--t," "a--hole," "bastard," "bitch," "jackass," "dumbass," "goddamn," "damn." Teen bully calls teen boy who wears a leg brace a "cripple." Rival cheerleader calls lead teen girl a "slut."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Man shown passed out drunk with a bottle of Jägermeister next to him by the couch.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Man shown passed out drunk on a couch, accused of being negligent for being drunk and passed out while his daughter died under his watch. Man shown drunk driving. One of the lead characters gets into a car accident, a head-on collision due to a drunk driver, resulting in the lead character suffering a concussion and coma.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Whole Truth is a Thai supernatural thriller (in Thai with English subtitles) in which a teen brother and sister find a portal in a wall that shows them what really happened in their family's past. Expect horror movie violence and imagery throughout. A man is shown committing suicide by placing a gun inside his mouth -- blood shown splattering the wall after the gunshot. Man shot and killed. Another man dragged out of his car after driving drunk, shot, doused in alcohol, and then set on fire. Demonic baby shown vomiting torrents of blood. Young girl found dead after drinking rat poison. Woman suffers a coma and concussion after a head-on car accident with a drunk driver. Bullying and cyberbullying: a teen boy calls a teen boy who wears a leg brace a "cripple," is verbally abusive, and threatens to release a video online of his cheerleader sister taking a shower in the school locker room. Profanity throughout, including "f--k." To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In THE WHOLE TRUTH, Mai (Nicole Theriault) is a single mom raising two teens, the cheerleader Pim (Sutatta Udomslip), and Putt, an aspiring artist who's bullied for having a leg brace. One night while driving home late from work, Mai gets into a head-on collision with a drunk driver, and suffers a concussion and coma. Pim and Putt learn the news from their grandfather, one Mr. Samphong, who they've never met until that moment. While Mai remains in a coma in the hospital, Pim and Putt are sent to live with their grandparents, including their grandmother Wan, who is in the early stages of dementia. Soon, strange things begin to happen. Wan keeps forcing Putt to drink large glasses of milk, resulting in a recurring bloody nose and feelings of nausea. One day, they discover a hole in the wall of their grandparents' apartment. Putt looks inside, and sees a demonic baby vomiting torrents of blood. Their grandparents claim not to see the hole. The more Putt looks into the hole, the more he sees what seems to be an alternate reality, and their grandparents continue to deny what Putt and Pim are seeing. When Mai comes out of her coma, it's up to her to find a way to escape the hospital, confront her parents, and reveal to her kids the tragic and horrifying reality about what really happened in her past, and how it's being revealed through the hole in the wall.

Is It Any Good?

This supernatural horror tale is better than one might expect, but not as good as it might have been. The Whole Truth is a Thai horror movie that comes across as heavily influenced by movies like The Ring and The Grudge , but manages to find its own footing through a fast-paced story that builds suspense towards the big reveal at the end without spending any more time than necessary on getting to know the characters. The acting is above average, if melodramatic at times, and the creepy vibe in the set design and the horror imagery keeps the audience engaged. There's enough to it (even if just barely) to keep the audience curious enough to want to know where all of this is going.

Unfortunately, it doesn't really lead to anything satisfying, and the two-hour-and-five-minute running time ends up feeling like it's at least 30 minutes longer than it needs to be. Side stories fall short, to say nothing of plot twists that come across as forced and manipulative rather than entertaining and rewarding. The background music is excessive and obnoxious -- it's like any time someone blinks or turns their head, shrill and discordant industrial horror noise screeches and scrapes to the point that you start to believe that the filmmakers either have no faith in themselves in providing the scares, no faith in the audience to be scared without audio cues, or all of the above. These decisions by the filmmakers result in a movie that isn't as good or as scary as it might have been with more editing and less reliance on horror cliches.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about horror movies like The Whole Truth . How is this similar to and different from other horror movies, in terms of suspense, violence, blood, gore?

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The movie is set in Thailand. How is bullying and cyberbullying conveyed in the movie? How is it similar to and different from how it's conveyed in other countries?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : December 2, 2021
• Cast : Nicole Theriault , Sutatta Udomslip , Nattapat Nimjirawat
• Director : Wisit Sasanatieng
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Horror
• Topics : Brothers and Sisters , High School , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
• Run time : 125 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : February 17, 2023

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‘The Whole Truth’ Review: Keanu Reeves Does His Best in the Middle of Misdirection

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Regardless of the medium, courtroom stories are inherently tethered to their verdict. While some of these dramas foreground character nuance or an indictment of the justice system, the wait for a “Guilty” or “Not guilty” is the elemental fuel for the dramatic fire. “ The Whole Truth ,” the latest from “Frozen River” director Courtney Hunt, preserves that innocence binary for the people who populate its story. The overbearing father, the brash attorney, the misunderstood son, the junior litigator: all exist on clearly defined ends of the spectrum. The result is a film that often avoids any middle ground, making for a cut-and-dried courtroom tale that desperately wants to be anything but.

The earliest hope that “The Whole Truth” might find a path to transcending the familiar “Law & Order” rhythms is Keanu Reeves ’ turn as Richard Ramsay, who manages to exude the familiar alpha male lawyer persona in a controlled (and, at times, subdued) way. Ramsay’s client is young Mike Lasseter (Gabriel Basso), a sullen teenager on trial for the murder of his loathsome father ( Jim Belushi ).

READ MORE: ‘The Whole Truth’ Trailer: Keanu Reeves Defends Renée Zellweger in Crime Thriller

To the initial chagrin of Mike’s mother Loretta ( Renée Zellweger ), Ramsay takes on another member of the defense team. Janelle Brady (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) comes equipped with her own redemption arc, in the shadow of her successful lawyer father. The initial parrying between Janelle and Ramsay as they suss out each other’s personal and professional style adds a much-needed dose of levity. But as the procedural beats of Mike’s case and the details of the crime in question swallow the film’s focus, little room remains for personality-driven touches that might elevate this from being standard legal fare.

Though Rafael Jackson’s script takes time to include testimony from everyone on the conspicuously small witness list, most of the relevant details come from flashback sequences outside the courtroom. Most engaging are the wispy, fleeting glimpses that Hunt incorporates in a hazy, overheard fashion. But those sequences that get the full-blown flashback treatment always double as blaring clue sirens. As a result, these memories get assembled into a clear hierarchy that’s less about how these memories work and more about establishing an explicit plot framework.

This, in turn, does few favors for the cast of “The Whole Truth.” As Mike’s father, Jim Belushi shows he’s capable of playing the scumbaggery that makes him a contemptible villain. But his character exists purely to be a foil, the film’s way of establishing an outsized character to keep the audience looking one way before jerking them back towards another.

Janelle’s backstory (which, as described by her, sounds like a much darker version of the CW’s most critically adored show ) is disregarded as quickly as she serves her purpose to the case. But despite being saddled with being the surly, brooding teenager, the film’s standout is Gabriel Basso, who lets just enough of Mike’s inner turmoil percolate at the surface. Silent for much of the film, he takes elements of a familiar revenge tale and does everything in his power to rescue his storyline from some murky ethical waters.

Courtney Hunt’s debut film “Frozen River” took advantage of its Canadian border setting, weaving it into the fabric of the film’s immigration tale. Here, there are few nods to the courthouse’s Louisiana environs outside of some very loud crickets. When most of the film takes place on a private plane and in the backyard of a mansion, there aren’t many chances to pull back beyond amped-up suburban angst.

READ MORE: ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ Review: Renee Zellweger Revitalizes Her Best Character For a So-So Sequel

And while the natural lighting of the courthouse and the relative patient pace of the testimony might hint a more organic approach to this kind of drama, there’s still a stifling air of inevitability to that flashback structure. Regardless of the culprit or the jury’s verdict, it’s never in doubt that the “real” story will be revealed in due time. There might be momentary meditations on the nature of truth, but once it’s apparent that this tale is hurtling towards an unambiguous conclusion, it zaps the story of any tactical entertainment value.

The film’s closing minutes offer some parting pieces of information that upend some previously laid assumptions, but it’s a grafted-on coda rather than a well-choreographed gut punch. Missing from that protracted epilogue? Ramsay’s intermittent voiceover, which occasionally surfaces throughout the movie to hammer home character details that were already apparent. It’s telling that the only time it pulls back is when there’s nothing left to say.

“The Whole Truth” is now in theaters.

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The Whole Truth Ending, Explained

In a flawed universe, a flawed defense attorney fights a seemingly conclusive case of patricide. Based on this premise, Courtney Hunt’s courtroom thriller, ‘The Whole Truth,’ packs enough drama and suspense to keep one tied to a chair. The whole truth of the case seems evasive, but the shocking ending unfolds a meticulously planned murder plot. While the whodunit boils slowly for most of the narrative, the final moments erupt in all their visceral glory and leave several pertinent questions in their wake. If you are unable to get your head around the ending of the film, we shall try to tie the loose ends for you. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Whole Truth Plot Synopsis

Richard Ramsey (Keanu Reeves) fights a case of patricide. The accused in question is Mike Lassiter (Gabriel Basso), the tight-lipped son of an affluent lawyer, Boone Lassiter (Jim Belushi), and his wife Loretta Lassiter ( Renée Zellweger ). Boone was found dead in his own home with a stab wound right below the heart. The case against Mike is seemingly rock-solid, as there are witnesses who can testify to Mike killing his father. Mike’s fingerprint is found on the body and the murder weapon, and to top it off, Mike has pleaded guilty to the murder.

The police officer who visited the crime scene has heard Mike saying, “I should have done this a long time ago.” Ramsey’s position in the case is worth noting – he is a friend and colleague of the deceased, while he is appointed by the wife of the deceased for the acquittal of her only son. This premise sets off an intriguing courtroom drama with mind-bending twists and turns. As the courtroom hearing goes on, we are taken to the moment of rupture through flashbacks. The first witness is Angela Morley, a flight attendant working as part of a private jet crew.

As she answers questions about the return journey of Mike and Boone from a trip to Stanford, we are shown in flashbacks what seems like a coldness between the father and son. Given Mike’s adolescent predisposition, it is perhaps nothing out of the ordinary. But as the limo driver comes to tell his tale, we are guided by visual cues to the personal life of Boone. Boone was a man of questionable character – he had affairs with several women, he was arrogant and hot-headed, and he treated his wife with little respect.

Ramsey, in the meantime, has taken under his wing living lie detector Janelle Brady (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), daughter of known lawyer Walter Brady. She thinks that both the limo driver and the flight attendant are concealing the truth. Loretta comes on the podium to testify and confirm the vile nature of her deceased husband. As she revisits the moment of rupture, we get to know that Loretta was physically abused by Boone on the day of his death. Following the fight, she went to take a shower, and when she came back, Mike had apparently already done the deed. Ramsey presents pictures of Loretta’s bruised body as evidence before the court.

Mike decides to break his quiet and present a statement before the court. He authenticates all the witnesses’ statements and goes on to add that he has killed Boone not to protect Loretta but himself. The stupefied court hears his version of the truth. According to Mike, he had been physically molested and raped by his father from early adolescence, and the act of killing was a desperate attempt to save himself from his father. The prosecution summons Angela Morley to confirm Mike’s narrative, and after being judicially questioned by Janelle, the attendant admits to spending a bit too much time in the cockpit. The case is won. However, the whole truth seems to be something else altogether.

The Whole Truth Ending: Who Killed Boone?

This is the question that the film wants you to ask. While the case seems quite solid on the outset, there seem to be some bitter truths lurking under the surface. While it has been decided from the beginning that Mike is the killer, Janelle is the first one to sense the involvement of Loretta in the act of crime. When she confronts Loretta, she seems evasive. However, some disparities are planted throughout the film. Before the prosecutor even finishes his question, the detective says that it is the spouse who is the primary suspect. However, after talking to the policewoman, he was led to believe otherwise.

To think of it, Mike’s statement “I should have done this a long time ago” shows hatred towards his father but does not prove his involvement in the murder. What about the fingerprints, one would ask. If you can recall, while the forensic scientist does not divulge anything before the court, the flashbacks indicate an inconsistency between Loretta’s testimonial and the strands of hair found from the scene. Moreover, when we see Mike’s friend Alex playing peeping tom in the flashbacks, we perceive brutality in Boone’s treatment of Loretta, but not a single shot shows Boone hitting Loretta. Even Mike cannot believe this bit and asks his mother to be reassured.

After the case is won, Mike confronts Ramsey in the bathroom about the watch found at the crime scene. In a flashback, Ramsey’s watch is shortly seen under the bed before being picked up by Loretta with utmost dexterity. As the final moments unfold, we see the truth with our own bare eyes as a guilty Ramsey revisits the incident. We see a hooded Ramsey stabbing Boone as he gets back from the trip; while in the bathroom, Loretta hits herself to use the bruise marks as evidence. Mike returns from soccer practice earlier than usual, which gives the partners in crime no time for the cover-up.

Are Ramsey and Loretta Having an Affair?

There is a rationale behind every act of murder, and especially, as the prosecutor points out, in a case of first-degree premeditated murder. As often happens in crimes of passion, Ramsey and Loretta are likely having an affair. Something about Ramsey bugs the audience right from the beginning. Ramsey is seemingly involved in the case on a personal level and yet chooses to act distant. His conversations with Loretta outside court hearings are often characterized by an uneasiness. He seems to be under some kind of pressure, and when Janelle confronts him about Loretta towards the end, he dismisses her by saying their foremost duty is to win an acquittal for Mike.

At the end of the film, when Ramsey recollects his conversation with Boone, the audience gets to overhear some of it. Boone suspected that Loretta is having an affair, and Ramsey jumps on to say that he should get a divorce filed. Boone was perhaps already aware of Ramsey and Loretta’s affair and confronted Ramsey to see his reaction. When the lovers suspected that Boone knew about their affair, they planned together to move him out of the picture.

Was Mike Really Molested by His Father?

In Mike’s statement before the court, he finds his tongue to disclose that Boone attempted to rape him on the day of Boone’s murder. He goes on to say that since he was 12 years old, Boone molested him on many occasions, including the day of the return flight. The court brings in the flight attendant for a second testimonial.

She begins by denying the allegations made against Boone, but following Janelle’s line of questioning, she admits to spending around 10 minutes in the cockpit with the pilot and the co-pilot. As it turns out, she also happens to date Ginsburg, the co-pilot, and shortly after, she recollects that her time spent in the cockpit may be more than 10 minutes. Boone could have raped his juvenile son in the time window, and now the defendants have a case.

However, it is more likely that the molestation charge is a fabrication conjured by Mike. A promising legal prodigy like Mike would not find it difficult to spot the fissures in the legal system. He does not divulge the fact in the beginning since the prosecutor would get the upper hand. Ultimately, it comes down to Mike’s statement against Morley’s, and an adequate amount of cunning makes Mike win the case for himself. However, in the scene where Mike confronts Ramsey, it becomes clear that Mike was not raped by his father.

Mike accuses Ramsey of killing Boone, and Ramsey mildly retaliates by reminding Mike that he spoke under oath. Mike bursts out by saying that he did not trash Boone’s memory and branded himself a killer raped by his father. In saying these words, he accuses Ramsey of being responsible for the shameful situation of his life. However, following Alex’s testimony, we know that Mike’s relationship with Boone took a downside turn months before the backyard incident, and we do not know why.

Read More:  Where Was The Whole Truth Filmed?

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Movie Reviews

THE WHOLE TRUTH (2021) Review!

New streaming on Netflix!

THE WHOLE TRUTH (2021)

Directed by Wisit Sasanatieng. Written by Abishek J. Bajaj. Starring Sompob Benjathikul, Sadanont Durongkaweroj, Steven Isarapong, Thasorn Klinnium, Mac Nattapat Nimjirawat, Keetapat Pongrue, Nicole Theriault, Tarika Tidatid, Sutatta Udomsilp

When their mother is put in a coma from a car accident, two teenagers are surprised to encounter grandparents they never knew they had. When they force the kids to stay with them, they notice a hole in the wall leading to the apartment next door. But when they look in the hole, it’s a dark reflection of the apartment they live in with a strange, pale girl vomiting blood and moving about creepily. Stranger than that, the grandparents can’t see the hole, even when the teens point it out to them. All of this leads to a dark and complex family history.

Sometimes, as an American writer, reviewing an international film is difficult. Or at least, I find it difficult. While I don’t mind subtitles, it does often distract me from paying attention to the subtler things like acting quality and line delivery when I don’t speak the language the film is made in. It’s even more difficult when I watch Netflix as they offer a dubbed version, which I occasionally watch so as not to be distracted by the subtitles and get more out of the film itself. That said, the choice of voice-over actors can often leave good performances sounding really clunky and cheesy. I am honestly not sure if that is the case with THE WHOLE TRUTH, but wow did the dubbing and the over-the-top physical reactions of the Thai actors make it seem like this is an extremely badly acted movie. Every reaction is cranked to 11 and met with raised eyebrows and bulging surprise eyes, sometimes accompanied with a full on agape mouth. The translations of the script seemed to lack any kind of nuance and went more for broad, generalized dialog than anything with an ounce of flourish. The vast and sweeping soap opera score didn’t help to make the acting any subtler. So, whether it was the acting itself, the dubbing, or the translation between the two, THE WHOLE TRUTH’s cast does a horrible job trying to tell this complex tale.

There are small moments of supernatural horror that work in THE WHOLE TRUTH. The visage of the little girl is creepy as shit, adding a visceral quality to her by having her continuously vomiting blood. They also used a real little girl for the role which gives the monster depth and weight and even though the blood-vomiting gets quite ludicrous the more it is repeated, it is a pretty gross and effective way of distinguishing her from the typical long-haired J-horror girl-ghost we’ve all seen a million times. I really liked the idea that the kids can see the hole, but the grandparents can’t as well. But again, the further they push it, the more farcical it gets. It’s as if the filmmakers really didn’t understand that less is more in these cases and along with the lackluster acting, it instilled unintentional laughter instead of the intended horror and drama.

THE WHOLE TRUTH tries to tell an epic tale that spans generations but lacks the nuance to be successful at it. Parts of it will remind you of M. Night Shyamalan’s THE VISIT, as the eccentric grandparents immediately seem suspicious. I honestly am at a standstill trying to review THE WHOLE TRUTH because I don’t know if I’m reviewing the translation or the movie itself. Because I don’t really have this issue with other international horror, I’m leaning towards this is just a badly realized and acted film with potentially good ideas. Also, something that seems to be a requirement for Netflix films, the two-hour runtime is just too long as this movie would have worked with a good 45 minutes snipped from it. There’s a subplot about the sister trying to become the cheerleader captain that goes nowhere. Maybe this one will work for you, but for me, despite some gut-churningly good ghost-girl scenes and an admittedly interesting set of twists and turns, THE WHOLE TRUTH lacks a lot of the restraint to convincingly and effectively tell this story.

Check out the trailer here! !

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Accused takes the stand in fatal THC-impaired driving case in Saskatoon

Taylor kennedy says she told police the truth at crash scene about her drug use.

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The woman accused of impaired driving causing the death of a nine-year-old in 2021 took the stand in Saskatoon provincial court on Wednesday.

Taylor Kennedy testified Wednesday that, on Sept. 9, 2021, she truthfully admitted to police to having drugs in her system. Court has heard that Kennedy told police she microdosed psilocybin mushrooms and cannabis in the previous 24 hours before she hit Baeleigh Maurice along a stretch of 33rd Street West at about 9 a.m. CST that day.

Part of the court case hinges on whether the information Kennedy volunteered to police that day was compelled. That aspect of the trial is being considered in a voir dire — a trial within a trial to consider whether certain evidence should be a part of the larger trial.

Kennedy's defence attorney, Thomas Hynes, said outside of court that if the statement is admitted, the defence will argue those statements violated Kennedy's rights alongside other police violations of her rights.

Taylor Kennedy's defence lawyer in THC-impaired driving trial says case should be 'thrown out'

It was more than an hour after the crash when Kennedy did an oral swab for THC and tested positive. 

The judge-alone trial resumed Wednesday after a months-long hiatus in proceedings. It was adjourned in October until February, then adjourned again until Wednesday. 

Some members in the gallery wore shirts or sweaters that read "Justice for Baeleigh."

• THC-impaired driving causing death trial adjourns until February for more witnesses, argument
• Circumstances of drug use admission focus at trial for THC-impaired driving causing death

Crown prosecutor Michael Pilon cross-examined Kennedy Wednesday afternoon. 

The court replayed a video from the cab of a police vehicle from after the crash to clarify whether Kennedy had requested to speak to a specific lawyer when asked — something Pilon argued she had not.

In the video, a police officer informs Kennedy she is under arrest and explains why. Kennedy can be heard loudly sobbing.

• Saskatoon mom seeks justice for 9-year-old daughter killed by truck driver
• Woman charged with impaired driving in September death of 9-year-old Saskatoon girl

Kennedy said she could not convey her thoughts while she was crying. She testified that while she had a specific lawyer she wanted to speak with, she did not ask for him and agreed that speaking with legal aid would work for her.

Pilon tried to confirm when Kennedy told police she had used substances in a series of questions that led to Kennedy breaking down on the stand.

The court also heard from Taylor Kennedy's mother, Carla Kennedy, about Taylor's past driving experiences — and how Carla encouraged Taylor to report accidents — and about Taylor's past experiences with mental health issues including depression, anxiety, ADHD and borderline personality disorder.

Carla was the final witness brought forward for the voir dire.

So far, court has also seen footage from doorbell cameras that captured the crash and its aftermath, and heard from officers about the moments after the crash, and about police training and capacity for drug testing.

The trial is scheduled to continue on Friday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dayne Patterson is a reporter for CBC News in Saskatchewan and is based in Saskatoon. He has a master's degree in journalism with an interest in data reporting and Indigenous affairs. Reach him at [email protected].

'Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' credits real WWII rule-breakers with some unreal adventures

Good-looking rogues take on the nazis in guy ritchie’s madcap attack mission.

Henry Cavill plays a British officer who assembles an off-the-books naval attack squad in “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.”

We’re told Guy Ritchie’s slam-bang WWII thriller “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is “based on recently declassified files of the British War Department, and inspired by true events,” and there’s further confirmation of that when we see black-and-white photos of the real-life heroes portrayed in the story. All well and terrific.

Still, I’m going to go out on a particularly sturdy limb and guess that the actual ultra-secret combat group brought to cinematic glory by some of the most attractive humans on the planet, including Eiza Gonzalez, Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson and Henry Golding, were most likely not offering constant comedic banter while they were pulling off a mission so insanely unconventional, so incredibly daring, so madcap in its mad-cappery (I know that’s not a word but it SHOULD be), that they could make a movie about it. This is a Guy Ritchie action-comedy through and through, which means it’s going to be a stylish, cartoonishly violent, slick and relatively mindless popcorn movie. We’ll take it.

Adapted from Damien Lewis’ book “Churchill’s Secret Warriors: The Explosive True Story of the Special Forces Desperadoes of World War II” and featuring stunning visuals from the location shooting in the beautiful city of Antalya, Turkey, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is a fantastic blending of some basic facts and a whole lot of fictionalization, including shuffling of the timeline.

In the “Ministry” world, a beleaguered Winston Churchill (Rory Kinnear) approves an off-the-books Naval Intelligence Operation designed to sink the cargo ships that are providing essential supplies to the German U-boats that are destroying the Brits, controlling the North Atlantic and essentially blocking the Americans from joining the Allied Forces at sea. Dubbed “Operation Postmaster,” it’s so risky and so outside the normal rules of warfare that if the recruits for the mission are caught, they’re going to prison.

• ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant’: Combat intense as Afghan war vet goes back to keep a promise

The Naval Intelligence division is headed by Brigadier Gubbins, aka “M” (Cary Elwes), who is aided by Freddie Fox’s Ian Fleming — yes, THAT Ian Fleming. They enlist the services of the notorious and quite dangerous Gus March-Phillipps (Henry Cavill), who assembles a squad that includes the actress-singer-markswoman Marjorie Stewart (Eiza Gonzalez); the Nazi-despising, one-man wrecking crew Anders Lassen, aka “The Danish Hammer” (Alan Ritchson); the Irish sailor Henry Hayes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), the crafty master planner Geoffrey Appleyard (Alex Pettyfer) and the demolitions expert Freddy Alvarez (Henry Golding).

Off they go on their “Mission: Impossible” meets “Inglorious Basterds,” which lands them in the Spanish port of Fernando Po, off West Africa, where the Italian supply ship the Duchessa is moored. That’s the target. In Fernando Po, we meet the undercover comms expert Richard Heron (Babs Olusanmokun), who runs the casino where all are welcome (name-check to “Casablanca”), and the obligatory Sweating Sneering Loathsome Nazi Commandant, one Heinrich Luhr (Til Schweiger). It’s a terrific cast, and everyone seems to be having a great time assuming clichéd but quite entertaining roles.

• America’s 10 best war movies since WWII

With a justified running time of two hours, “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” finds room for just about everyone in the ensemble to have a showcase moment. One highlight is when Marjorie slips into a femme fatale dress and sings a sultry version of “Mack the Knife” in both English and German to keep the Nazis occupied while her colleagues are running all over the harbor and executing their ridiculously complicated plan.

Of course, complications ensue, and there’s a call to abort the mission, but these wisecracking rogues aren’t about to start taking orders, right? They’re having too much fun blowing things up and dispatching Nazis in creatively gruesome fashion. It’s ungentlemanly, but also quite heroic, and devilishly good fun.

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, don't tell mom the babysitters dead.

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Director Wade Allain-Marcus ’s “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” is a remake of the 1991 original, repurposing an older narrative for a new generation and, this time around, centering on a Black family. Seventeen-year-old Tanya Crandell ( Simone Joy Jones ) looks forward to her summer in Spain with her friends. But when her mother ( Patricia Williams ) is shafted at work, losing out on a promotion to a younger, whiter, male-r counterpart, she has a mental breakdown that warrants a summer-long R&R stay, which co-opts Tanya’s budget for abroad and leaves her indignantly stuck at home. 

In her absence, Mrs. Crandell hires an elderly babysitter, Ms. Sturak ( June Squibb ), to watch the kids: Tanya, her stoner teen brother Kenny (Donielle T. Hensley Jr.), macabre little sister Melissa (Ayaamii Sledge), and nerdy kid brother Zack (Carter Young). Ms. Sturak is not the warm, fuzzy granny she appears to be, swapping out freshly baked cookies and comforting hugs for crude, blatantly racist remarks. When the siblings throw an all-out rager disguised as “Bible study,” the underage drinking, smoking, and queer romancing happening under their roof throws the conservative sitter into cardiac arrest. The kids are forced to hide the body and learn how to take care of themselves for the summer. 

The responsibility falls on Tanya as the eldest and most responsible; with some clever Google deep dives and intricate Canva work, the siblings create a 25-year-old simulacrum of their sister, who uses her newly faked identity to land a job at Libra, a fashion company helmed by the ultimate girlboss, Rose ( Nicole Richie ). As Tanya juggles a summer of office politics, adult responsibilities, and a freshly spawned romance, “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” comedically centers on older sibling syndrome and the daunting pressures of adulthood and agency.

Writers Chuck Hayward , Neil Landau , and Tara Ison deliver a script chock full of hilarious one-liners that are kindly doled out evenly among the ensemble cast. Whether quipping on the quotidian precarities of being young Black kids in a wealthy white neighborhood (even aside from the dead white woman they disposed of) or the situational comedy of Tanya’s manufactured identity and adjustment to the 9-to-5 lifestyle, the script hands out laughs with generosity. Kenny’s penchant for weed and Melissa’s true crime fascinations also present familiar comedic archetypes for the film to lean on. 

Unfortunately, many of these comic opportunities fall flat in the execution. Shoddy line deliveries keep you from recognizing the joke, requiring a few seconds of processing time to land. The performances often feel responsible for this; they feel uncanny and solitary as if the cast were projecting lines to the expectant ears of a studio audience that doesn’t exist. While this awkward independence of the functioning characters muddles some moments, it doesn’t entirely erase the recognizable humor that remains consistent throughout.

Jones acquits herself quite well in her first role as a leading lady. She displays a formidable amount of range, from the short fuse of an eldest sister’s stoicism to the personal and professional confidence she develops as the summer pushes her to expand her comfort zone. The dynamics of the sibling ensemble are also generally believable in their moments of union and annoyance. Hensley Jr. is a reliable source of comic relief, and his antics test his siblings’ patience and perseverance. 

Tanya’s employee-employer relationships with Rose and her budding romance with aspiring architect Bryan ( Miles Fowler ) get more screen time than those with her siblings, making “Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” more of a portrait of her than that of the family. While Richie’s performance is rather flat and one-note, it’s a testament to the hollow girlboss identity the film crafts in the shape of a chronically-online millennial Miranda Priestly. At the same time, the chemistry between Tanya and Bryan is the most persistent: Fowler and Jones feel natural, weaving through the attraction, timidity, and frustrations of young, insecure, and poorly communicated relationships. Yet this particular pairing has the least bearing on the film's events, and this display of potential exacerbates the desire for magnetism in the core sibling dynamic.

“Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead” is laid-back and funny but ultimately whiffs on its swings too many times to make a lasting impression. It has all the right components, earnestly eliciting a few chuckles and a true investment in its characters. Still, it comes together like a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces aren’t fully pressed into place: a flimsy portrait of teen comedy and coming-of-age that won’t stand the test of time.

Peyton Robinson

Peyton Robinson is a freelance film writer based in Chicago, IL. 

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Film credits.

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (2024)

Simone Joy Jones as Tanya Crandell

Patricia Williams

Jermaine Fowler

June Squibb

Nicole Richie as Rose

Iantha Richardson as Juliet Crandell

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'Fallout' ending explained: The finale hints at who started the apocalypse and teases a return to a fan-favorite location

• Amazon's '"Fallout" takes place after a nuclear war has ravaged the world. 
• The show might finally answer how the apocalypse starts.
• The end of "Fallout" also teases a return to a fan-favorite game in the series. 

If you have played " Fallout " you may have wondered how the nuclear war that forces everyone to seek shelter in underground vaults all started — and we may finally find out if season two is approved.

The show, produced by Jonathan Nolan , is the latest video game to be given the live-action treatment, following the likes of the hugely popular " The Last of Us ," and the moderately successful "Mortal Kombat" and "Sonic the Hedgehog."

Set in the same world as the games by Bethesda SoftWorks and Interplay, it follows Lucy MacLean ( Ella Purnell ) as she leaves the nuclear bunker where she grew up to rescue her father after he's kidnapped by invaders from postapocalyptic America.

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As the show unfolds, actor Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins) starts to suspect that his wife, Barb Howard (Frances Turner), is involved with some shady goings-on at her workplace, Vault-Tec.

After being given a listening device by Lee Moldaver, a rebellious communist (Sarita Choudhury), Cooper spies on an important meeting at the Vault-Tec offices between the Vault-Tec executives, including his wife, and other companies it has partnerships with, like robot and weapons manufacturer RobCo Industries .

In the meeting, Barb explains that with nuclear war on the horizon, Vault-Tec is exploring its options to stay viable as a company if the worst happens.

As Barb herself explains: "A nuclear event would be a tragedy, but also an opportunity. Perhaps the greatest opportunity in history because when we are the only ones left, there will be no one to fight; a true monopoly."

Although the games made it clear that companies like Vault-Tec, Robco, and Nuka-Cola profited from the war, the twist that Vault-Tec appeared to have used its influence to ensure the bombs dropped is a new revelation. But it's fitting since the "Fallout" games satirize consumerism and capitalism.

The finale also reveals that Lucy's father, Hank MacLean (Kyle MacLachlan), is secretly a Vault-Tec executive who is still working for the company. And in the final few moments of the episode he's seen stomping toward a key location from a fan-favorite game: New Vegas.

Yes, it seems like Amazon is teasing that "Fallout" season two will touch on 2010's " Fallout: New Vegas ," one of the franchises' most beloved games.

Given that New Vegas is run by RobCo founder Mr. House (Rafi Silver), it makes sense that Hank is heading to the isolated city now that his true allegiance to Vault-Tec has been revealed. He needs an ally to keep working toward Vault-Tec's goals, and who better than the head of the company's main partner?

Regardless of what lies ahead for Hank in the "Fallout" series, seeing the futuristic version of Sin City is a tantalizing possibility.

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