MovieChat Forums > Absence of Malice (1981) Discussion > A better ending. What do you think? (sp...

A better ending. What do you think? (spoilers)

posted 18 years ago by chadbellan
14 replies | jump to latest

Amidst all of the confusion that is going on at the DA's office, Michael Gallagher (Paul Newman) is no longer a thought. After Sally Field's character finishes talking with Michael and leaves, Michael goes to his fridge to have a beer. In his fridge we see the body of the union worker.

His brilliance at redirecting the tactics used against him, onto his foes, is only outshined by the fact that he was the killer. He taunts the woman who published the story about him, by inviting her on his boat (where the body is). They have a nice picnick and beer which he grabbed from the fridge with the body.

Now he can easily dispose of the body, without suspicion, and is going to Canada. Michael wins.

[–] Babys-man 18 years ago

NO! The whole reason this film works is because Michael is innocent.

[–] TaxPayer99 18 years ago

If someone does the remake of the movie they should use your ending ... good one.

[–] bing148 17 years ago

As was already said, this movie works because we know all along he's innocent. We're told from the first time we see the DA, they know he had nothing to do with it, but he's got connections and since he's not into that mob life, they figure that protecting his name might be worth some information. We're informed up front he didn't do it and that's why the movie works. This is a good guy who got screwed by a bad system. Also, if he did it, then he wasn't with Dillon's character getting the abortion in Atlanta at the time. Which makes her suicide make no sense. This ending would not only completely screw up the movie, but even if you rewrote enough to make an ending where that would work, that'd make it an entirely different movie.

[–] jwillmo-1 17 years ago

This sounds like the movie that Charlie Kaufman's brother Donald is making in Adaptation.

"It's a classic battle between machine... and horse."

Seriously, he's keeping the body in the same place as his beer? And wouldn't you keep a body in the freezer, not the fridge? Now if he was going for ice cream... this ending would still be really freaking stupid.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] celbertin 16 years ago

I like the idea, it would be a great mindf uck!

[–] aciolino 15 years ago

You haven't "changed the ending," you created an entirely different film.

Go back and do better this time.

[–] thatsmydesire 15 years ago

I'm partial to this "better" ending!

Gallegher is innocent but Diaz was offed by mob people and placed in Gallegher's frig after he was cleared by Quinn--the mob had kidnapped Diaz and now figured it would be safe to snuf him and put him there since Gallegher was off the hook. One of the mob guys will borrow Gallegher's boat and shortly be headed out to offshore waters on a little dumping run.

Turns out Diaz was the *beep* Gallegher did not like who had knocked up Ms. Perrone and then refused to marry her. Gallegher had spoken of this to his Uncle who added it to an already long list of Diaz's bad behavior.

[–] silverr8c 15 years ago

The only reason the movie works is because he is innocent, new ending = fail

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] pbl1 15 years ago

cribbed from Basic Instinct. Some orginality, please!

What the $%*& is a Chinese Downhill?!?

[–] jdown-1 14 years ago

Chad - stick to your day job...

[–] gtbarker 14 years ago

Ha ha talk about missing the point. This film has one of the greatest endings ever and you want to change it! Hilarious, if it wasn't quite so sad.