Knox Goes Away Ending Explained & Spoilers: What Happened to John?

Given its ambiguous ending viewers are wondering what happens to John Knox at the end of Knox Goes Away. Michael Keaton directed the film from a script by Gregory Poirier and also stars as the titular character, who is a contract killer recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of dementia known as the Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease.

Here is everything that happens at the end of Knox Goes Away.

What happened at the end of Knox Goes Away?

After learning about his condition, John decides to quit the business after doing one final job. However, things become complicated after John inadvertently kills his partner Thomas Muncie because of his dementia, and his son, Miles, arrives at his doorstep with the news that he has killed the man who sexually assaulted his daughter, John’s granddaughter.

After learning about what Miles did, John orchestrates a meticulous plan with the help of former thief Xavier Crane despite his condition, and the scope of it is only revealed toward the end of the film. Initially, John makes it seem he has betrayed Miles. However, as Miles later realizes, John did everything so the former would be exonerated of murdering his daughter’s rapist while taking the blame himself.

Annie, an immigrant woman that John has been dating, betrays him. While John kills all of her accomplices, he forgives her. Toward the end of the film, she receives John’s book collection. Meanwhile, Miles and John’s estranged wife each receives half of the money John has left behind.

Does John die of his Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in Knox Goes Away?

No, John doesn’t die of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in Knox Goes Away. However, his condition has exponentially worsened by the end of the film. The authorities shift him from a prison to a medical facility. When the film ends, John appears to be in a catatonic state. He is shown standing by a window and staring out.