10 Movie Endings You Definitely Misunderstood The First Time

Martin McDonagh's delirious black comedy In Bruges concludes with Ray (Colin Farrell) as the last hitman standing, or rather, sitting, as he's wheeled into an ambulance after being shot repeatedly by fellow assassin Harry Waters (Ralph Fiennes).

The ending leaves it ambiguous as to whether Ray succumbs to his substantial wounds or survives to lead a better life, and in the 15 years since the film's release, fans have passionately made a case for both outcomes.

But all this squabbling over Ray's fate rather misses the actual point of the ending.

Ray spends his time in Bruges suicidally despondent over accidentally killing a child during a botched recent hit, but in the final scene where he's loaded into the ambulance, he says that he "really, really hoped" he wouldn't die.

The true meaning of the ending is even simpler than Ray living or dying. After wallowing in his own guilt for the movie's entire runtime, he finally decides he wants to live, regardless of whether he survives or bleeds out five minutes later.