Don't Let Go (2019) ending explained: Do Jack and Ashley succeed in preventing her death?
Don't Let Go (2019) is an intriguing science fiction thriller filled with mystery, time travel, and suspense. The movie, released on August 30, 2019, is directed by Jacob Aaron Estes, and stars David Oyelowo, Storm Reid, Alfred Molina, and Brian Tyree Henry.
The movie is currently available on Netflix and was made by Jason Blum under his Blumhouse Productions label. After it came out, the movie got good reviews for its story and unique take on the time-travel genre.
Jack Radcliff, played by Oyelowo, is a homicide detective who is shocked when his niece Ashley and her family are found dead in what looks like a murder-suicide. However, as Jack tries to deal with his grief, he starts getting strange calls from Ashley, who sounds like she is calling from the past.
At the end of Don't Let Go (2019), Jack and Ashley succeed in preventing her death, but not in the way they initially expected. Through their efforts to alter the past, Jack manages to save both himself and Ashley from the tragic fate that had been set in motion.
By the end of the film, after a tense confrontation with Bobby, Ashley manages to escape, ensuring her survival. At the same time, Jack also survives, undoing the tragic timeline where he was fatally shot.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Don't Let Go. Readers' discretion is advised.
Looking into the ending of Don't Let Go
An unexpected turn of events takes place in the last act, and while the ending is somewhat satisfying, it makes people think hard about the effects of their actions.
In the climax of Don't Let Go, Jack's last-ditch effort to save Ashley from a terrible death takes center stage. Jack realizes that what he did in the past is affecting the present, and not always in the ways he thinks they will.
Not everything goes as planned, even though he tries to help Ashley and stop the murder-suicide. In a twist, the past and present clash dramatically, changing the course of events in a way no one could have seen coming.
Jack's struggle to save Ashley
Discovering he has been talking to Ashley through her phone from a few days ago makes Jack want to save her more than anything. He thinks that if he can change the events that led to the murder-suicide, the terrible thing that happened will not happen.
The whole movie is about Jack using his special place in the present to help Ashley in the past. However, as Ashley still doesn't know what will happen to her, Jack tries to change her mind without telling her the truth.
Jack and Ashley dig deeper, and they discover a dangerous plot involving Ashley's father, Garret, and the mysterious "Georgie," who is thought to be the mastermind behind the tragedy. In the end, Jack is sure that Georgie, not Garret, killed the person.
This premise sets up the main plot twist of the movie: Jack learns that the corruption is worse than he thought. Don't Let Go makes Jack's investigation seem like a race against time since Ashley's death could happen at any time.
Jack's fatal shooting and its consequences
The story takes a shocking turn when Jack is shot in a drive-by while he is looking into what happened before the murder-suicide. Jack keeps talking to Ashley while he is lying there dying. He tells her to call the police and put her dad in jail for drug possession, hoping that this would change what happens.
However, instead of stopping the murder-suicide, the changes move the tragedy's date forward, which means Jack lives through the first shooting. Now that Jack knows Ashley is going to die sooner than planned, he rushes to tell her about the danger.
Jack tries his best to save Ashley's life by telling her the whole truth about their calls and what's at stake.
The truth behind Georgie and the corruption
Midway through Don't Let Go, Jack's search for Georgie's identity becomes an important part of the story. Jack finds out that Georgie is not a single person but a group of dishonest police officers involved in a huge drug deal.
As Jack uncovers the plot within the police department, the tension in the movie rises. Howard, his boss, and Bobby, his partner, have been working behind Georgie's back to bring them down. Jack is caught in the middle of this and doesn't know it.
The shocking twist emerges when Jack confronts Howard and Bobby: Bobby is part of the Georgie plot. He was the one who killed Garret and put the blame for the murders on him because Garret wouldn't work with the criminal group.
Jack is aware now that the real danger is much closer than he thought before this turn of events.
Bobby's true colors revealed
Jack finds out that Bobby is directly responsible for the deaths of Ashley's family. When he talks to Bobby in the present, they get into a tense standoff. Bobby tries to get Jack to reveal his informant, but he doesn't know that Ashley has already been involved in the investigation. To keep his own secrets safe, Bobby gets ready to kill Jack.
At the same time, Ashley is working hard to keep herself and her family safe. She asks Bobby to take her home because she thinks he can help her, but Bobby turns on her and kills her parents.
Ashley manages to escape but is now aware of the danger around her. Jack is about to be killed by Bobby in the present, but Ashley's voice on the phone gives him the strength to stop Bobby before he kills anyone else.
Jack's last stand
As the climactic final moments of Don't Let Go unfold, Ashley makes the ultimate decision to leave town to survive. Her survival means Jack's survival, but the duo must work together to ensure they both make it out alive. As Bobby moves in to kill Jack, the past and present collide.
In a dramatic turn of events, Jack shoots Bobby, erasing the timeline where Bobby is about to kill him. The future is rewritten, and both Jack and Ashley manage to escape the cycle of violence.
Don't Let Go is available to stream on Netflix.
