The Locksmith (2023) Ending Explained – Why Did April Not Shoot Miller In The End?

the locksmith 2023 movie ending explained

The Locksmith Ending Explained – Numerous films have included protagonists who initially make a mistake but redeem themselves by the end, and there will probably be many more. In 2023, you will be able to read “The Locksmith” by Nicolas Harvard, a narrative that fulfils this description. After spending ten years in prison for being betrayed by a corrupt police officer, the protagonist, a locksmith, does everything in his ability to reconnect with his loved ones upon his release. The film is enjoyable if you’re in the mood for a crime thriller with family drama, despite not being a classic. The movie’s plot is summarized here.

the locksmith 2023 Plot synopsis

What Happens in the Film “The Locksmith?”

Miller Graham is a master lock picker who was imprisoned for ten years after a dishonest police officer betrayed him and his comrade, resulting in the latter’s death. This is the plot of Nicolas Harvard’s neo-noir criminal thriller from 2023. April, the older sister of Miller’s companion, uses emotional blackmail to convince him to rob a poker game run by Zwick, the same dishonest officer who had previously detained Miller. Miller’s detective wife, who now works for Vice, becomes engaged in investigating the prostitution network. Will Miller be able to escape this situation, or will he be sent back to prison?

The locksmith, portrayed by Ryan Phillippe, parks his van next to Detective Zwick’s (Jeffrey Nordling) vehicle. Zwick offers the two a diagram of a safe and assures them that he will take care of the police radio. Despite Kevin’s reservations, Miller completes the task, and they successfully remove the safe and unlock it to reveal a substantial amount of cash. Nonetheless, as they remove the cash, they uncover a motion sensor that informs all nearby police cars, including Zwick’s. Kevin is concerned about his sister April, but Miller immediately forces him to leave with his possessions. As Kevin exits the vehicle, though, Zwick executes him with a handgun. Once Miller arrives, Zwick detains him and explains the cover story he must use. Zwick fatally shot Kevin, who was armed, in self-defence. As Miller accepts his fate, the locksmith advises him to protect Beth and their child.

Miller is released from prison after ten years, and his friend Frank (Ving Rhames) is there to assist him in every way possible. Frank provides Miller with locksmith services, a used phone, cash, and the return of his truck. Frank also informs Kevin that he remained in contact with Beth and Miller’s daughter Lindsay but could not learn what happened to April, Kevin’s sister since she did not want him to.

Miller decides to have lunch with his ex-wife Beth and their daughter Lindsay the following day, so he phones her that evening to make the necessary preparations. The next day, Miller feels embarrassed approaching the mother and daughter. As she places an order for pie, he expresses regret for his family’s difficulties as a result of his decisions. Later, Beth obtains a promise from her ex-boyfriend that he will never abandon their child again. Frank then confesses the locksmith’s mistake to Miller and explains that he must make amends with his family.

Frank awakens Miller the following morning to inform him that he has received a job offer. Garrett, the owner of all rental homes in the neighbourhood, approaches Miller after he installs a digital lock, claiming to have heard about his skills from Miller’s acquaintances. Miller is surprised to find that April, Kevin’s sister, has spread the news about him to Garrett. April reportedly leases a property in the region, and Garrett makes an effort to be there for her. April is the name of the woman waiting for Miller when he returns to Frank’s. She continues by stating that she needs money and asks Miller to help her find a job, knowing that the employment is illegal. April becomes angered by Miller’s reluctance to complete the task following his release from prison and storms away in her car. Frank urges Miller to prioritise his family over his profession.

On his way to work, Miller is detained by two police officers, and when the dishonest detective Zwick arrives, he orders Miller outside. Zwick reveals that he is leaving the military with the rank of lieutenant while he is alone. In addition, he mentions that Miller’s incarceration and his friend’s murder ten years earlier were essential to his victory. Then, Zwick threatens Miller, requesting that he not discuss his involvement in the case.

After searching Miller’s vehicle, the two stooges Perez and Jones steal the locksmith’s tools, beat Miller, and then transport him to the police station. Even though he should have a licence to operate them, the Chief is a friendly police officer and lets Miller go because he wasn’t using them. Beth, Miller’s ex-wife, stands next to him and begs him to avoid difficulties should she be forced to send him back to prison. To maintain touch with his daughter Lindsay, he comes to Frank’s and requests lawful handyman work, even if it’s as simple as sweeping the floors.

the locksmith 2023 Movie

Meanwhile, Zwick is retiring, and the department will recognise his many years of service. He then invites Beth to his office. Zwick and his allies are disappointed when she accepts their offer to fill the vacant Vice Seat. She drops Lindsay off at the club’s entrance and contacts Miller immediately, pleading with him to watch Lindsay while she celebrates Zwick’s retirement. Miller agrees with this statement. Before sending her off with her mother, he waits for the outside of her piano lesson, takes her out to lunch, and teaches her how to pick locks at his business.

Beth informs him that she will accept the position at Vice despite her ignorance of Miller’s arrest. As mother and daughter depart, Zwick explains that Beth must rely on his stooges while travelling to risky locations for Vice. April will be waiting there for Miller’s return to the workplace. She discloses that she is Garrett’s escort service team member and needs fast cash assistance to flee Garrett and his fraudulent real estate enterprise. She shows Miller the numerous injuries Garrett has given her, but he refuses to break the law again.

Ultimately, April is correct in asserting that he is responsible for her brother’s death and her current plight. When April confesses that Garrett runs high-stakes poker tournaments and keeps the money in his office, Miller has no choice but to break into Garrett’s office, steal the money, leave it at Frank’s, and wait for April, the pushover. Miller accepts these conditions.

The next morning, Beth reviewed the case files and discovered that the number of prostitution cases had decreased during the previous three years. All the women held for this had given the same street address, which turned out to be Garrett’s whole block. Miller and April find that Zwick, Perez, and Jones will be in charge of security when surveying the stadium for the next game. According to April, she will vanish after stealing $50,000 for herself. Miller, concealing his identity with a ski mask, slips into Garrett’s residence at night and opens every door in record time.

He requests that April distract Zwick by shattering glass as Miller passes, but the lieutenant sees through the ploy. Miller breaks into the safe and steals a large sum of money. After the arrival of Zwick, violence broke out. Miller ultimately prevails and steals the officer’s gun. He hides behind April as he flees from the two police officers pursuing him. Zwick discovers his toolbox in Garrett’s office, where the two had a dispute, much to Miller’s dismay. Miller locks the money in the garage and repeatedly calls April but receives no response.

The next morning, when Miller goes to April’s residence, everything is in disarray, with furniture scattered around. A neighbour looks from across the street from her window. Beth’s friend Tanya enters the room as Lindsay is nonchalantly unchaining her mother. Tanya informs her that she and April work for Garrett, who operates an escort service, and that they wish to leave due to Garrett’s horrible treatment of April, despite having been initially attracted to the job by the opportunity to wear nice clothes and drive flashy automobiles.

She then asserts that April is missing and that she saw Miller enter her home this morning, meaning that a break-in occurred the previous evening. She then hands them a flash drive containing photographs of Zwick, Perez, Jones, and Garrett, as well as audio of Garrett reprimanding Zwick for brutally assaulting April. Frank meets Miller after discovering the concealed cash in the garage and demands an explanation. Miller states that he had to assist April, and she has now left. Frank begs him to tell Beth the truth, but in exchange, he wants Frank to hold onto the money for at least one day while he searches for April.

Miller reveals to Beth in class that he has not seen April since his discharge. She cautions him that his involvement could have fatal consequences and begs him to avoid the situation. Miller claims he is unaware of April and refuses to disclose the circumstances of his arrest. Beth hands an envelope to Chief Sterne at the station, raising doubts regarding Perez’s location. Perez inquires where the envelope is as Sterne offers assistance and calls the State Police, but Perez investigates the situation.

the locksmith 2023

The following day, Perez breaks into Sterne’s office at the station and plays the pen drive containing the incriminating data. At the same time, Miller returns to Garrett’s apartment and interrogates him until he discloses that Zwick is with April. Miller departs at the moment Zwick is signalled to come, illustrating their close communication throughout. The dishonest lieutenant enters the room, informs Garrett that he will keep the entire cash for himself, shoots and kills the real estate agent, and then flees with Miller’s toolbox. Miller returns to the workshop at the same time as Lindsay, a coincidence caused by Frank’s frequent demands for Miller to visit Beth. Miller tells Beth the entire story as she and her uncle Frank sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Before giving the money to Chief Sterne, she leaves Miller and Frank in the care of Lindsay and departs.

Zwick is en route to a motel with April when he receives a call from Perez. After Perez notifies Zwick of the evidence that will expose them, Zwick instructs the stooges to dump the gun used to murder Garrett on Miller and steal money from Frank’s workshop. The lieutenant has lost his composure and issued the order to murder everyone in the workshop and get the money.

In Miller’s workshop, he, his daughter, and Frank are watching television when he receives a call from April. Miller gets wounded while attempting to converse with her. The gunfight begins when Frank forces Lindsay to seek cover. Frank murders Jones with a shotgun after the two men exchange gunfire. Perez instead ambushes Miller and murders his companion, abducts Lindsay, and blackmails Beth into returning the money. Beth discovers her kid is missing when she returns home after hearing about the incident on the radio.

Miller tries to calm Beth when Perez and Lindsay arrive at the motel, where Beth is still grieving over her daughter, and Miller attempts to console her. Using a child as a pawn is completely contrary to April’s ideals. Zwick must wait for Miller to arrive with the cash because Lindsay is shackled to her desk. April texts Miller the motel’s address after storming out of the room in a fit of rage under the pretence of stepping outside for a cigarette.

Miller travels in the route specified by Zwick, who has requested that he follow Beth while she pursues their daughter. Lindsay uses her bobby pin to release the handcuff, flees just before Beth arrives, and executes Perez according to her father’s teachings. After removing the keys from the pockets of the dead officer, they depart to rescue Lindsay’s father.

Now that Zwick has revealed that April was the mastermind and that she holds Miller accountable for her brother’s murder, the father is in serious jeopardy. Therefore, Zwick will murder Miller, replace Garrett, and financially benefit April. He raises his firearm to fire at Miller, but April stops him with a chest shot. She approaches him as he coughs blood and says, “I always knew you were lying about my brother’s death because Kevin would never raise a gun to his head.” Then she fires a single shot into Zwick’s head.

She continues to argue that Miller should be punished for her brother’s death, but Beth interrupts her to thank her for notifying them of Lindsay’s location. Miller afterwards asks her pardon. April gives up as the day progresses and breaks. She and her mother were seated in the backseat of the ambulance. April falls while standing next to a police car and looking back at Lindsay with appreciation.

Miller now has two jobs and is saving diligently for Lindsay’s college expenses, while Lindsay’s mother has been promoted to lieutenant. When Lindsay’s parents arrive to see her perform on the piano, there is an initial indication of difficulties as tears fall down her cheek. To honour her late uncle Frank, she begins a carefully rehearsed symphony with a poignant rendition of “Twinkle, twinkle, little star”, to which everyone, including her parents, replies with applause.

the locksmith 2023 ending explained

The Locksmith (2023) Movie Ending Explained

Despite its problems in the storyline, acting, and overall structure, the picture has some redeeming qualities, including an exhilarating last act that makes up for its predictable plot. Miller is hurt, Frank is murdered, Lindsay is taken, and the situation worsens. April decides to tell her parents where she is after carefully putting up a trap to take advantage of Miller’s vulnerability. The deciding aspect is that she sees the child being carried away in chains.

Just as Beth is about to execute Perez, Lindsay breaks free of her bonds and flees, mainly due to good fortune. Before April’s arrival and murder of Zwick, it appeared that she would assist Miller provided he paid her. Instead, she would have shot him if Beth hadn’t convinced her that she wasn’t the wrong person because she had helped them locate Lindsay. April puts down the weapon as Miller expresses guilt and asks forgiveness for killing her brother 10 years ago. Perhaps all she desired was an apology from Miller, but in her thoughts, she just wanted his death.

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