Dhruv Trivedi
‘No Exit’ is a tense thriller set amidst a blizzard. On the way to her ailing mother, Darby finds herself stranded at a rest stop with four strangers. Things take an ominous turn when she discovers a young girl being held hostage in a van outside the shelter, confirming that one of her four companions is a kidnapper.
As it turns out, the sinister truth is a lot more complicated than our heroine initially imagines, and even the kindly couple, Ed and Sandi, are not spared the deadly repercussions of the kidnapper’s startling reveal. So do Ed and Sandi make it out alive at the end of ‘No Exit’? Let’s take a closer look at the film’s climax and see what happens to the couple. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Are Ed and Sandi Dead or Alive?
Ed and Sandi are the last to get embroiled in the deadly situation that unfolds at the Muir Tree rest stop during the blizzard. Even as Lars and Ash, who are revealed to be the kidnappers, chase Darby in the snow, attempting to subdue her, the elderly couple sits indoors, unaware of the chaos outside. At one point, it begins to seem like Ed and Sandi are the only hope that Darby has of saving herself and Jay from the murderous kidnappers. Considering Ed is a retired Marine who could likely outplay two novice criminals like Lars and Ash, things even begin to look optimistic for a time.
However, that all changes when his wife, Sandi, reveals that she is also part of the kidnapping plot. Through brief flashbacks, we then see how Ed’s wife, who works as a maid for Jay’s wealthy parents, helped Lars and Ash kidnap the child. In response to her husband’s look of shocked disbelief, Sandi tearfully explains how he has gambled away all their savings, and she hoped that the ransom would get them some much-needed money.
Thus, things already look pretty tragic as we see Ed and Sandi’s marriage and trust in each other break down in an instant. However, it gets worse. When Ed refuses to give back Ash’s car keys, essentially stranding the kidnappers, the latter shoots the retired Marine. In response to her husband getting shot, Sandi charges at Ash with a can of mace but is also gunned down. The last that we see of them, the couple is sprawled on the ground after being shot.
Though it initially seems like one (or both) of them might survive with injuries, the outcome turns out to be quite different. We see Ash fire a few extra rounds into the fallen bodies to the elderly couple, essentially ensuring that they are dead. We see Ash do a similar “double-check” with the cop a few minutes later, standing over the injured police officer and firing nail after nail from a high-powered nail gun into the fallen body.
Thus, it appears that both Sandi and Ed are shot repeatedly until they are dead. In case there is any doubt about the couple’s fate, Ash also subsequently sets the rest stop building on fire while Ed and Sandi’s bodies are still inside (seemingly to hide evidence of the kidnapping). With all certainty, Ed and Sandi are tragically dead.
Read More: Is No Exit Based on a True Story?
