A quick search on Reddit will reveal people in Bolivia’s actual country subreddit marvel at how their landlocked nation became forever immortalized in cinema thanks to what’s come to be known as theBolivian Army Endingtrope.
While the name may sound odd, it’s one of theactiongenre’s most frequently used storytelling resources, whether it’s to tease the tragic death of a character, to show the full might of an overpowered protagonist, or as a cliffhanger ending that’s led to some of Hollywood’s more recognizable final shots. The premise is rather simple: take the protagonist and pit him against some type of insurmountable odds (usually enemy forces), and cut to credits so the audience is left wondering what really happened when their hero faced all but certain doom.
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Will The Bolivian Army Please Stand Up?
As to where this movie trope finds its origins, it really dates back to 1969’sButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford as the titular characters. The film follows the two wild west outlaws as they wreak havoc across the American midwest until the tightening grip of the police prompts them to go to Bolivia after careful, or rather not so careful consideration.
After Cassidy and Harry the “Sundance Kid” Longabaugh find South America has proven to be a tougher palace for business than expected, the two see themselves facing a do-or-die moment when the Bolivian Army is called to gun them down. The movie’s final scene features the two criminals planning their escape outside the building they’re trapped in, but as they come out guns blazing the camera freezes to the sound of the Bolivians firing back. And scene.
Simplicity in the midst of the extraordinary is the key behind this genius plot twist ending, as usually a Bolivian Army ending is paired with a story that depicts the main characters as nearly invincible, it makes viewers grow fond of them (regardless of their morals), only to pull the rug towards the end with a harsh dose of reality. Funnily enough, the original scripted ending forButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidactually killed the duo, but due to negative audience feedback and Redford’s refusal to let his character die on screen, it ended up being changed.
A Bolivian Army ending, if executed well, is supposed to represent the ultimate hail mary, where escape is only a possibility due to the character’s own impressive feats from before. It’s pretty epic, and it sure didn’t take long for Hollywood to catch onto, perhaps most famously with an even more relatable pair of criminals,Thelma & Louisedriving off a cliff in their 1966 Ford Thunderbird.
Modern Takes On The Bolivian Army Trope
Despite it commonly being associated with a final fight kind of scenario, not every ending of this kind requires an enemy or actual violence. Sure, more storied examples like Bruce Lee’s jumping split kick inFist of Furyare clear-cut examples, yet something likeBlade Runner’strue director’s ending condemning Rachael, instead of the original sugarcoated one for theaters are similar enough applications.
More recently,Frank Miller’s300and its film adaptationboth feature this type of ending by pitting the Greek army against Xerxes' Persian forces, yet leaving it up to historical records to alert viewers on who won that battle. In more subtle fashion, 2010’sBlack Swan, starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, sees Nina succumb to her practically guaranteed death after attaining her dream of ballet perfection — no army required, but regardless, the point is still the same: an ending without the actual death.
Bolivian Army endings are not exclusive to passive entertainment, as video games have also used this mechanic to mark the fate of beloved protagonists,such asFinal Fantasy 7’sZack. InCrisis Core, Zack’s adventure leads to him facing a horde of Shinra soldiers, too many for him even, and while the scene has been retconned in theFF7 Remake, for years fans learned to accept that image asthe cause of Aerith’s heartbreak.
The type of endings can also be used to great effect as season cliffhangers on television, leaving fans to wonder for nearly an entire year what happened. ThinkLostseason 5, or ifGame of Thrones’season 6 had with “Battle of the Bastards” right before the Knights of the Vale came to save Winterfell.
The Italian Job(the 1969 version),Reservoir Dogs,Braveheart, and to a lesser extentBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicemaking people think Clark Kent really died for good. There are slight alterations to this formula, such as skipping the certain death moment and flashing forward to a calmer scene, as seen in Robert Rodriguez’sDesperado,or more recently, Marvel’sMoon Knight, though they tend to be pretty easy to spot.
There’s a reason why movie tropes such as this one are so common, they work. A Bolivian Army ending can often be the perfect way to cap off an exciting adventure with a hero, or antihero, that is simply too cool to see die. That or vaguely setting up a sequel, just in case.
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