Following(1998)

This is Christopher Nolan’s first feature-length film. Though the film is presented in a non-linear/chronological fashion, this pooper is written in chronological order.

Pooper:
It turns out that Cobb is working for the Bald Man and has set up not only the Young Man, but also the Blonde as well. Cobb kills the Blonde and the Young Man is arrested for Cobb’s crimes as well as assaulting the police officer. Cobb gets to keep the stolen money and he anonymously disappears into a crowd

Long Ending:
This is Christopher Nolan’s first feature-length film. Though the film is presented in a non-linear/chronological fashion, this pooper is written in chronological order.

A Young Man (Jeremy Theobald) begins following random strangers in order to get inspiration for the stories he writes. He soon becomes obsessed with following people. At one point, a man he has been following for several days finally confronts him. After learning that the Young Man is harmless, the man introduces himself as Cobb (Alex Haw) and invites the Young Man to accompany him on his job as a burglar. It turns out Cobb only takes small valuables from the houses he breaks into (easier to fence) and also takes things of sentimental value (so people will realize what those things meant to them). Cobb also occasionally leaves things (like girl’s panties) at the scene of the crime to create drama between the people living there. The Young Man and Cobb bond and Cobb agrees to train the Young Man in his ways.

During one escapade, the duo break into the house of a breathtaking Blonde (Lucy Russell). It is clear that the Young Man is infatuated with the pictures of this woman. Meanwhile, Cobb convinces the Young Man to shave and cut his hair so he will be  less identifiable (and the Young Man now looks much more like Cobb). Cobb also hints that he has many other secrets that the Young Man has yet to learn, such as the fact that Cobb will take up residence in other people’s houses while they are on vacation. The pair go out for dinner and Cobb gives the Young Man a stolen credit card to use to pay for the dinner. The name on the card is “D. Lloyd.”

Eventually, the Young Man follows and approaches the Blonde in a bar and begins romancing her. She reveals that she is the ex-girlfriend of a local gangster, the Bald Man. Over dinner, she recounts a story where the Bald Man once killed someone in her home by bashing his head in with a claw hammer. The two grow closer and eventually sleep together. The Blonde tells Young Man that the Bald Man has compromising photos of her stored in his office’s safe and asks the Young Man if he could break in and retrieve the photos, as well as any money in the vault. The Young Man agrees.

We then learn that the Blonde and Cobb are actually lovers. During one break-in, Cobb finds a murdered woman at the scene. While leaving the apartment, he is spotted by a witness and is a suspect in the murder. Thus, the two had plotted to find someone to train in Cobb’s ways so that way the police can’t pin either the murder or the break-in on Cobb. They call the police to report a break-in as the Young Man breaks into the Bald Guy’s safe, catch Young Man in the act, and shift the police’s attention away from Cobb. Unfortunately, when the police officer confronts the Young Man, he bashes the officer on the head with a hammer he had brought along to help with the break in and flees with the money and the “photos.”

The Young Man opens the photos and, seeing that none are of the Blonde, realizes he has been set up. He confronts the Blonde who admits everything. The Young Man immediately goes to the police to turn Cobb in and clear his own name to the extent possible. Meanwhile, Cobb breaks into the Young Man’s room and takes the money from the Bald Guy’s robbery.Cobb meets the Blonde at her house. Once there, he confesses that he actually works for the Bald Guy and that the Bald Guy is willing to let him keep all the stolen money in payment for killing the Blonde as she was witness to and kept evidence of the Bald Guy’s murder. Cobb bashes the Blonde’s head in with the hammer the Young Man had used to break into the Bald Guy’s office and used to assault the cop.

The police do not believe the Young Man’s story, finding no evidence of Cobb’s existence. They note that the address he gave them was actually the home of Daniel Lloyd (aka “D. Lloyd”), who had just returned from a vacation and reported his house burgled and credit card stolen (which the police traced back to Young Man). Further, they found the Blonde’s earring in the Young Man’s apartment (it had been planted there by Cobb) and his prints and her blood on the murder weapon. The Young Man is arrested and charged with all of Cobb’s crimes.

The film ends with Cobb standing free on a street. As people walk by, we soon lose sight of Cobb in the crowd.

Thanks Evan