‘The Last Days of American Crime’ Ending Explained: What Really Happened in the Netflix Heist Film?

Another Friday, another Netflix original movie. This week the movie is The Last Days of American Crime, a crime-action thriller starring Édgar Ramírez (The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story), Anna Brewster, Michael Pitt, and Sharlto Copley in a long, meandering heist film with a slight sci-fi twist. Hey, I can think of worse ways to spend a Friday night!

Directed by Olivier Megaton with a screenplay from Karl Gajdusek, this movie has everything: Naked women, guns, explosions, and a plot that doesn’t really make sense if you think too hard about it. But, lucky for you, I did all the hard thinking for you. If you were confused by the final moments of this movie, Decider has got you covered. Let’s get into The Last Days of American Crime ending, explained.

What is The Last American Crime plot?

It’s sometime in the near future, and the U.S. has devolved into complete anarchy, which includes men fighting in the streets and women who look like supermodels stripping on cars. I don’t know about you ladies, but the first thing I’m gonna do when the apocalypse comes is to take off my top. The government is gearing up to launch the “American Peace Initiative,” or API, in one week, which is some kind of mysterious signal that makes it impossible for any crime to be committed. How does it work? I don’t know, magic, maybe? Stop asking questions! Everyone is freaking out and trying to escape to Canada before the API goes into effect, but the borders have been closed, and anyone who leaves is shot.

We flashback to one year earlier, where Bricke is happily committing crimes with his crew, including his little brother Rory, who is about to go to prison. (I think it has something to do with drugs.) We flash forward six months when the government conducts its first API text. Bricke decides to take the $7 million he owed some other drug lord—presumably the Dumois family—and flee to Canada with his crew. Unfortunately, his little brother, Rory, kills himself in prison, and a member of his crew, Johnny Dee, sells him out.

Bricke, now hiding from the Dumois family, buys some super strong, super lethal drug from a man named Joe Hickey in a bar. At that same bar, Bricke meets a beautiful woman named Shelby Dupree (Anna Brewster) who says sexy things like “Jiminy Crickets.” Next Bricke meets a manic dude named Kevin Cash (Michael Pitt). Kevin says he knew Bricke’s brother Rory in prison. He says Rory died not by suicide but by a guard beating him, and that it was the API’s fault. He offers Bricke a chance at revenge: Steal $30 million from a “money factory” as a middle finger to the government, or something.

They plan to steal the money on the night the API goes into effect, because, apparently, all police are going to lay down their weapons the exact moment it happens. Shelby has a convenient device that will buy them 30 more minutes of crime-having time. We learn that Kevin is a member of the Dumois family and that he’s tired of living in his father’s shadow, and we learn that Shelby is ratting Kevin out to the FBI, because they caught her hacking and have her sister in captivity.

After an hour of action that has nothing to do with the heist, we finally get back to the heist. Shelby meets up with her guy Carl Wrightson, head of the API program.  Shelby—who apparently has a romantic history with Carl—infiltrates the API headquarters. Meanwhile, Bricke exchanges counterfeit money at the “money factory” through the API Amnesty program, a buyback program for criminals sitting on stolen cash. Unfortunately, the officials quickly realize the money is counterfeit, but it doesn’t matter, Bricke and Kevin have made inside the factory, and apparently, that means no one else can get in, either. The authorities think it’s fine, though, because the API will go into effect in six minutes. Little do they know that Shelby has just implanted the magical device at the API that grants them an extra 30. Bricke and Kevin get away with a million dollars.

How does The Last American Crime end? What is The Last American Crime ending, explained?

The API turns on, but doesn’t affect Kevin. Kevin kills Bricke’s friend Ross. Bricke, hindered by the API, can’t stop him. Kevin explains that while he was in prison, he practiced how to beat the API. He achieved his goal by adopting the mindset that “nothing meant anything.” Nihilism wins again! Kevin reveals he was the one who killed Rory, and then he shoots Bricke in the face. Somehow, Bricke isn’t dead yet. Then, the FBI, who has snipers trained on Kevin from afar, kill Kevin.

The FBI agents reveal they will not keep their promise to Shelby to let her and her sister go free. So Bricke pulls out that super intense drug he bought at the beginning of the movie and takes it. This allows him to beat the API and kill the FBI agents. Meanwhile, Shelby is attacked by a cop who has an implant that makes him immune to the API. Shelby, attempting to escape, inadvertently kills him. Nice! Loophole! Shelby blows up the API building, meets up with Bricke, and the two of them escape to Canada. Apparently, everything is totally fine and normal in Canada. You guys know Canada! That country is immune to global economic crises!

Bricke dies as soon as they cross the border, so Shelby leaves him in the getaway truck and flees, taking the container of Rory’s ashes with her. The last scene finds Shelby and her sister spreading Bricke’s brother’s ashes in a lake, and driving off into the Canadian sunset.

What does The Last American Crime Ending mean? What is The Last American Crime ending, explained?

I’m not saying it makes sense, but, according to the logic of this movie, brain damage was one of the ways to beat the API. (A news reporter said that in passing—I don’t blame you if you missed it.) At the very beginning of the movie, the guy who sold Bricke that drug said it caused lethal brain damage, so that’s how Bricke beat the API and why he died soon after. Bricke and Shelby—who knew the FBI was going to make a hit on Kevin after the API switch—must have made some kind of deal with them to free Shelby and her sister in exchange for Kevin.

Shelby’s sister got to Canada with the help of the FBI agents, as part of Shelby’s agreement with the FBI. In the one other scene they have together, Shelby gave her some money and said, “You know where to go, right?” Why was she allowed to escape when celebrities were apparently shot out of the sky?  No idea. Perhaps that was one of the few scenes cut from this 2-hour-and-28-minute movie.

Watch The Last Days of American Crime on Netflix