The End Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The End (1978). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Wendell “Sonny Lawson” [Burt Reynolds] is an unscrupulous Los Angeles real estate promoter who learns he has a fatal blood disease and has between three months and a year to live. After visiting a hospital ICU, he decides to die by suicide rather than endure the slow, painful death his doctor describes. He takes the time to meet with several friends and family members for the last time, including his daughter Julie [Kristy McNichol], and ex-wife Jessica [Sally Field], hiding his prognosis and his intentions from most of them. However, he reveals his plan to Marty [Norman Fell], his best friend and lawyer.
Sonny takes an overdose of sleeping pills but wakes up in a mental institution, in which he has been committed by Marty and Jessica. He befriends fellow patient, Marlon Borunki, a paranoid schizophrenic with dissociative identity disorder who has been committed for murdering his father in a fit of rage. Marlon is sympathetic to Sonny’s continuing desire to die, and so helps him in various unsuccessful attempts, including jumping from a tower, crushing his head in the hospital bed, and being hanged. Sonny meets Dr. Maneet, a psychiatrist with a fatal diagnosis himself, who briefly reawakens Sonny’s desire to live and find meaning in the time he has left; unfortunately, immediately after this breakthrough, Dr. Maneet dies in Sonny’s arms.
Sonny and Marlon break out of the institution, and Sonny retrieves a gun from his girlfriend’s house, intending to shoot himself. This too fails when the gun jams, so he drives to the coast and swims into the sea to drown. He “hears” Jessica and Julie talking about him at his funeral and realises he doesn’t want to die, and miraculously swims back to land, promising God a share of his future profits if he lives; first 50%, then 30%, and finally, when it is clear he will make it back to shore, 10%.
Marlon, having found Sonny’s gun, fires at him repeatedly, trying to fulfil his wish to die; he misses every time, and Sonny tries to convince him that he now wants to live. Marlon seems to understand, but then pulls a knife and chases Sonny down the beach, and Sonny renews his higher offer to God if he can escape.
The End Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of The End (1978) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Diagnosis and decision to die
Sonny learns he has a fatal blood disease and a prognosis of three months to a year. He resolves to die by suicide to avoid a slow, painful decline. He visits a hospital ICU to process the prognosis and quietly sets his plan in motion.
Reveals plan to Marty
He confides his intention to die to his best friend and lawyer Marty in a private talk. He keeps the prognosis and his plan hidden from most friends and family, choosing to say farewell on his own terms. The confession marks the shift from contemplation to action.
Farewells with Julie and Jessica
Before carrying out his plan, Sonny meets his daughter Julie and his ex-wife Jessica for the last time, concealing the full prognosis from them. He tries to act normally while slipping out of touch with reality for a few moments. The encounters heighten the emotional stakes of his decision.
Overdose and awakening
He takes an overdose of sleeping pills, intending to end his life. He wakes up not at home but in a mental institution, where he has been committed by Marty and Jessica. The abrupt switch pivots the story into a new, unsettled phase.
Marlon the fellow inmate
In the psychiatric ward, Sonny befriends Marlon Borunki, a paranoid schizophrenic with dissociative identity disorder who has been committed for murder. Marlon expresses sympathy for Sonny's wish to die and aids in various 'attempts' that prove dangerous and misguided. Their uneasy alliance foreshadows both help and risk.
Dr Maneet's spark
Sonny meets Dr Maneet, a psychiatrist who is herself facing a fatal diagnosis. For a moment she rekindles Sonny's will to live by suggesting there could be meaning in the time he has left. The glimmer fades when Maneet dies soon after, in Sonny's arms.
Maneet's death
Dr Maneet dies in Sonny's arms, cutting short the fleeting spark of hope she stirred. Sonny is reminded that a meaningful future remains uncertain. The moment deepens his resolve to pursue life despite the odds.
Escape from the institution
Sonny and Marlon escape from the facility, continuing their dangerous game with mortality. The jailbreak intertwines a friendship with a volatile, life-or-death trajectory. The escape raises the stakes for Sonny's survival.
Gun retrieval and jam
Sonny retrieves a gun from his girlfriend's house to shoot himself. The weapon jams, foiling his immediate plan and forcing a new course of action. He heads toward the coast to attempt suicide in the sea.
Coastline attempt and funeral vision
He travels to the coast and dives into the sea, attempting to drown himself. While fighting the waves, he imagines Jessica and Julie discussing him at his funeral, a revelation that makes him reconsider dying. He eventually reaches the shore, buoyed by a vow to God to live.
Return to land and pledge to live
He crawls back to shore alive, the sea failing to claim him. He negotiates with God, offering a share of his future profits if he lives—50%, then 30%, and finally 10% as proof of his intent to endure. This moment marks a spiritual redemption and a commitment to stay alive.
Marlon shoots at Sonny
Marlon, having found Sonny's gun, fires at him repeatedly to fulfill the wish that Sonny die. Each shot misses, keeping Sonny alive and shaking Marlon's own resolve. The incident underscores the precariousness of Sonny's new vow to live.
Final chase and choice to survive
Marlon brandishes a knife and chases Sonny along the beach, forcing a perilous choice between death and life. Sonny increases his pledge to God, promising even more if he can escape. The pursuit ends with Sonny still fighting to live, though the danger remains.
The End Characters
Explore all characters from The End (1978). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Sonny Lawson (Burt Reynolds)
An unscrupulous Los Angeles real estate promoter who learns he has a fatal disease and believes he has months to live. He initially pursues suicide but is drawn into a dangerous struggle that tests his greed, pride, and the possibility of meaning in the time left. His arc shifts from domination to a fragile hope as relationships push him toward life.
Jessica Lawson (Sally Field)
Sonny's ex-wife who is part of the delicate web around his fate. She hides his prognosis from him and becomes entangled in his institutionalization, balancing concern with manipulation. Her actions influence Sonny's path toward or away from the fear of death.
Julie Lawson (Kristy McNichol)
Sonny's daughter who represents a personal tie to life beyond wealth and power. Her interactions with Sonny reveal a longing for connection and a more humane view of his final days. She anchors the emotional stakes and underscores the possibility of reconciliation.
Dr Maneet (Joanne Woodward)
A psychiatrist who briefly rekindles Sonny's will to live, only for the moment to be cut short when Maneet dies in Sonny's arms. Her presence introduces a spark of meaning amid crisis and highlights the fragility of life and hope.
Marlon Borunki
A paranoid schizophrenic with dissociative identity disorder who befriends Sonny in the hospital and supports his fatalist inclinations before ultimately helping him choose life. His unpredictable behavior and empathy create tension and drive the plot toward transformation.
Marty
Sonny's best friend and lawyer who arranges the legal path to his confinement and is part of the plan surrounding Sonny's fate. His perspective adds complexity to the central question of who gets to decide when life ends.
The End Settings
Learn where and when The End (1978) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
Late 1970s
The story unfolds in the late 1970s in urban California. It captures the era's mood around fame, money, and personal crisis, as a man confronts a terminal illness and the desire to die. The period's social attitudes shape how characters respond to death, help, and repentance.
Location
Los Angeles, California
The film is set in and around Los Angeles, reflecting an urban, high-paced backdrop. Key locations include a hospital ICU and a mental institution, with scenes along the California coast. The setting underscores a modern, late-20th-century world where wealth and status meet mortality and meaning.
The End Themes
Discover the main themes in The End (1978). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Mortality
A terminal illness forces Sonny to reassess life and value. The film centers on confronting death, the search for meaning in limited time, and how relationships push a person toward or away from despair. The hospital, the near-death attempts, and the funeral fantasy reveal how fragile life can be.
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Confinement
Sonny's escape attempts and his commitment to a mental institution illustrate how institutions can trap individuals searching for control over their fate. The companionship with Marlon exposes cracks in the system and how vulnerability can drive reckless choices. Even freedom is tested by fear and desperation.
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Redemption
Acts of care from family and doctors poke at Sonny's hard exterior, sparking a potential for renewal. The film moves toward a perhaps improbable hope as Sonny dangles promises to God and reassesses what he owes to those he loves. The ending hints that living can be more meaningful than merely avoiding pain.
The End Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of The End (1978). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the neon‑lit streets of Kuwait, a charismatic vampire steps out of his mist‑shrouded Transylvanian manor and into a world that hums with market stalls, traffic jams, and the relentless pulse of a modern city. Far from the ancient castles of his past, he is drawn to the promise of anonymity and the thrill of reinvention, swapping nocturnal shadows for the dazzling glare of oil‑slicked boulevards. The city itself becomes a character—a place where tradition and ambition collide, offering both refuge and challenge to a creature accustomed to centuries of solitude.
The charismatic vampire quickly discovers that survival in this bustling landscape is a collaborative art. He crosses paths with an eclectic band of thieves whose camaraderie is forged in whispered plans and daring improvisation. Their chemistry is electric, each member bringing a distinct edge that complements the vampire’s timeless perspective. Together they navigate a delicate balance between freedom and risk, their interactions tinged with a wry humor that softens the grit of their clandestine pursuits.
A determined police force circles the city, relentless in its pursuit of order. Their presence adds a constant undercurrent of tension, turning every night out into a game of cat and mouse that tests loyalties and ingenuity. The lawmen’s doggedness contrasts sharply with the thieves’ fluid spontaneity, highlighting the thin line the vampire walks between darkness and light, lawlessness and belonging.
The film unfolds with a tone that blends gritty realism with a noir‑ish sparkle, offering a fresh take on immortal folklore set against an exotic urban backdrop. It invites viewers to wonder how a being born of legend will reshape his destiny when he trades ancient curses for modern chaos, and whether the camaraderie of strangers can become the most unexpected salvation.
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