It’s all secrets and lies for Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton this weekend in their new thriller All the Old Knives, which is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Based on the novel by Olen Steinhauer, who also adapted the screenplay, All the Old Knives by Janus Metz Persen is a quiet spy thriller directed and produced by Denmark’s Janus Metz. The film’s majority is spent at a dinner between Pine & Newton, where they recall a traumatic moment in their lives as CIA agents. The All the Old Knives end comes with a major plot twist in the final minutes. Gasp!

The film follows a non-linear storyline, with flashbacks within flashbacks. It is easy to get lost in the film, especially when you consider who is betraying whom and why. Decider is there to help. Continue reading to see the All the Old Knives Review plot summary, and the All the Old Knives ending Explained.

All The Old Knives Review

There isn’t enough room in the world for action movies and comic books that feature characters. For viewers looking for such content, premium streaming networks are becoming the home of these projects. Amazon’s Prime Video has just added “All the Old Knives”, a slow-burning thriller film about CIA agents.

The cast of “All the Old Knives,” which stars Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton, is impressive. Pine’s Henry Pelham is portrayed by the movie, as well as Newton’s Celia Harrison. They are ex-lovers and former working partners. Pelham investigates the aftermath of an eight-year-old hijacking of an aircraft and the possibility of a mole in their group who provided information to terrorists. There are many twists and turns in “All the Old Knives”, but they are not as straightforward or as easy as they seem, as is often the case when spy thrillers go.

The climax to “All the Old Knives” reveals that Henry Pelham is the traitor. He was sent by the CIA to investigate possible traitors. This is a standard plot twist in spy thrillers, and it’s not unlike other genres. Some viewers might not have noticed the tragic irony in Pelham’s betrayal and his death at the end of the film. You see, Pelham did not betray the CIA or his country to save Celia Harrison’s life. She had unknowingly placed herself in danger with Ilyas Shushani (Orli Shuka), the mastermind behind the terrorist plot.

The most tragic twist is the one that Harrison committed, which led to Pelham being assassinated by the CIA. This was because the agency knew about his treachery from the beginning. Pelham sacrificed everything to save Harrison’s life, even the lives of more than 100 people. Harrison’s little act of betrayal was what ultimately led to Pelham’s death eight years later. Although, it is fair to say that Pelham had his own assassin, available to kill Harrison at any time, although it has never been made clear if he would be willing to risk his life to protect himself.

Viewers are already aware that Henry Pelham was a co-worker with Ilyas Shashani in “All the Old Knives,” and that the latter was an informant for the former while he was in Russia. This all changed when the CIA handed Shushani to the Russians to improve working conditions. The events eventually lead to Shushani’s daughter’s death, which radicalizes him and ultimately leads to the hijacking of the plane, which in turn leads to the deaths of over 100 people aboard Turkish Airlines 127.

It seems strange that Shushani chose Austria for the hijacking, which Pelham was just a few minutes away from happening. Although it isn’t clear, Shushani’s plot appears to go beyond a misguided attempt to free his fellow prisoners. At least in part, the plot is designed to make Pelham suffer and to cause him to betray Shushani. Shushani used Celia Harrison’s life as a bargaining chip in order to make that happen. Yes, the American government was likely to be a driving factor, but Pelham was most likely Shushani’s poetic justice.

Although the plot is clear in “All the Old Knives”, the film also has a deeper thematic message. It’s spread throughout the film and it’s quite dour. Nearly every character bases their decisions on love and most of them end up in prison. Henry Pelham, in love with Celia Harrison, decides to betray the CIA and causes the deaths of all passengers. Harrison, on the contrary, is motivated by her love for her family, and her freedom from the CIA. This leads directly to Pelham’s suicide.

Even Ilyas Shushani is driven by his love for his daughter, and that’s what motivates him to be a terrorist mastermind. Pelham says in the film that the love he shares with his family is the most important thing to him. It was a death sentence for all those on the plane, Pelham and most likely many others. “All the Old Knives,” whether it was intended or not, makes the assertion that love is to make one suffer. Harrison, however, managed to escape this fate, and returned to her family intact.

Still, Pelham appeared to be at peace with his death because he finally saw Harrison and was able to clear his conscience. Although it is not a happy ending for this film, few other films of this genre can boast such a pleasant ending.

WHAT IS THE ALL THE Old Knives ENDING EXPLAINED?

Plot twist: Celia informs Henry that she knew Bill made the phone call and that he is also the one who leaked information about Ahmed to terrorists. She left him and the agency because of that. Although she didn’t rat him out, she did. Celia is shocked that Henry would attempt to pin this on her and ruin her life, even though he knows she’s innocent.

He also hears her tell him that his boss Vick had known it was him since the beginning. It turned out that Ilyas Shishani gave Henry a name. The whole thing was set up to quietly kill Henry because he was a traitor. It’s all a ploy to quietly murder Henry for being a traitor. The bartender, waiter, chef, and even fellow restaurant patrons are in on it. Henry has only a few more minutes to live after his wine was poisoned.

Henry tells Celia, with his last breaths, why he betrayed the CIA. He did it in order to save Celia’s life. Remember the strange meeting Celia had with the Muslim Women’s Foundation? Celia was actually at the meeting with the Muslim Women’s Foundation, but Henry was at his own meeting with Ilyas Shishani. This was the man responsible for the attack. It turns out that Ilyas Shishani, the same source Henry was forced into ratifying to the Russians many years ago, is also Ilyas Shishani. American sanctions caused Shishani’s daughter to die after he was tortured. Russians accused him of being a terrorist. After that, he became a terrorist.

Henry is now the victim of Ilyas Shishani’s vengeance. Henry is given a cellphone by him that shows that he has Celia in a situation where her men could kill her. Henry must agree to not give any information to terrorists. Henry, desperate, tells Ilyas all about Ahmed on the plane. This saves Celia’s life. We now know why he gave Celia that amazing kiss when she returned to work.

Celia discovers that Henry has always loved her. He tells Celia he loves her and that he will leave her before he dies. She agrees. Henry is then contacted by the assassin hired to ask if he should murder Celia. Henry is too busy to answer so the assassin doesn’t kill Celia. But we are left wondering what he would say. He would surely have said “No,” right? Right?!

We’ll never know. The final scene shows Vick getting a phone call from Henry, letting him know that Henry has died. Celia is seen walking down the street thinking about Henry’s past relationships. She then returns to her family, returning to her normal life. She’s still alive! The movie is over.

All the Old Knives Ending Explained Detailed: HENRY’S TRAITOR TWIST

All the Old Knives hinted at the traitor being Celia, or Bill. However, it was later revealed that Henry was the one who was actually the traitor, since his meeting with Celia was set up by Vick (Laurence Fishburne) in order to kill him. Henry believed he was in control with Vick, and could use Bill or Celia as scapegoats. However, Celia finally revealed that Henry met with Henry through Vick. After Ilyas was captured by the CIA, he admitted that Henry had given him the information regarding the undercarriage attack plans and that Ahmed was a spy agent. Celia’s dinner was only the official confirmation that Henry was the traitor.

After All The Old Knives‘ twist ending, Henry is revealed to be the mole. Every odd detail of the dinner becomes more obvious as a clue, such as the bizarre waiter switch-up towards the end. The sad thing about All the Old Knives‘s ending is that Thandiwe Newton, the character of Remembrance knew Henry was guilty but left him believing he was working with Ilyas. He did it to save her life. This makes the ending even more tragic, as they both admit their long-lost love while he is still alive.

FAQ About All Old The Knives Ending

Henry Was Going to Have Celia Killed by Henry?

A strange detail about Henry’s preparations for his meeting Celia is now less obvious when the truth is revealed. Treble was Henry’s hitman and was available to kill Celia if Henry gave him the word. This suggests that Henry still wanted to kill Celia, even though he knew she was innocent. It doesn’t make sense for Henry to hire a hitman to kill Celia, since All the Old Knives had already betrayed his country to save Celia.

Even though actor Chris Pine was lying on the table, his character in All the Old Knives‘ end, the hitman followed Celia out and asked for confirmation. Celia survived because Henry died before she could give an answer. The ending implies that Henry was actually considering killing Celia, even though the hitman wasn’t revealed to be there to kill Henry. It’s unlikely, however, that he would have told Treble to pull the trigger in All the Old Knives last scene, given how much he loved her.

Was Bill really a Betrayer of the CIA?

Henry’s view made it appear that Bill was the true traitor. However All The Old Knives‘ twist ending revealed that Bill had been made the scapegoat by Henry. Henry and Bill met shortly before to suggest that Bill was hiding something due to Henry’s frantic responses to him accusing him of being the mole. However, the Amazon Prime Original movie ending suggests that Bill was just scared of being blamed when he wasn’t. Henry had actually set up Bill, calling Ilyas’ number from Bill’s office before he left the CIA building that night. Celia was innocent, and her boss was not guilty of any crime. He was just going to be Henry’s patsy.

Why Ilyas Organized The Plane Hijacking ?

Henry’s previous assertions that Ilyas wasn’t a terrorist or extremist back in Moscow make it clear All the Old Knives why he set up a terrorist attack soon after. Henry revealed that he had given Ilyas to the Russians to obtain information on a future attack. The Russians tortured him and made his family’s lives miserable by the end of 2022’s All the Old Knives. Ilyas tells Henry that he had given Ilyas up to the Russians to get information about a future attack. The Russians tortured him and made his family’s life miserable.

In the April 2022 movie, the hijackers declare that they are “The real people around the globe, the powerless who can strike back“. This is a reference to Ilyas’ life that was destroyed while being used as a pawn by the Americans and Russians. The Russians and Americans both labeled Ilyas a terrorist, even though he was a bread baker who gave the Americans secret information before being trampled and handed over to Russian torturers. The ending of All the Old Knives shows that Henry would not have given up Ilyas, his source of information, and would have never become an extremist.

Also Read:Outer Range Season 1 Ending Explained : What’s Happened ?

Why Celia Decided to Help the CIA Kill Henry ?

Henry believed he would have the hard decision of killing his ex-lover Celia. However, All the Old Knives‘ ending turns the situation around and shows that Celia was instructed by Laurence Fishburne to kill Henry before the meeting. Celia still loved Henry, but she chose to kill him because she believed that he would willingly share secrets with Ilyas regarding the hijacking. Celia was the one who poisoned him, and he later admitted that he had only told Ilyas about his plan to kill her. It’s possible that even if she knew Henry had done it for her, she would still have agreed to kill him so the CIA could leave her family.

Celia tells the CIA that she will never contact her family or Henry after her death. This proves that Celia was motivated by the loss of Flight 127. Henry had been lying to Celia over the past decade about being the mole. He was even willing to give up his character as Westworld‘s Maeve Milay actress when he believed Vick was innocent. Celia said that her family saved her from the chaos of Flight 127. Therefore, killing Henry was the only way to keep her family safe and put an end to the conflict between All the Old Knives.