‘Sunray: Fallen Soldier’ Ending Explained & Full Story: What Happened To Andy?

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Directed by James Clarke and Daniel Shepherd, both of whom have previously collaborated on the acclaimed short, Letters Home, which focused on the human cost of warfare, Sunray: Fallen Soldier is yet another narrative that offers a sympathetic look at the lives ravaged by the dreaded realities of war. Primarily unfolding as a revenge action thriller as an aging military veteran and his trusted team of elite combatants take on drug dealers and gangsters to avenge the death of someone dear, Sunray: Fallen Soldier tries to highlight the painful predicament of lives marred by violence and isolation. The inability to find closure can spell doom for those who struggle to find a soul to share their emotional burden—the core message the movie conveys well, but a contrived ending somewhat affects the narrative treatment as a whole.

Spoilers Ahead


Why Did Andrew Coleman Pursue Cassius?

Sunray: Fallen Soldier begins with Andrew Coleman, a veteran military captain, leading his crew, comprising his army buddies—Smudge, Sledge, and Harper—to infiltrate a drug dealer hideout—and the crew takes down all the present criminal scum one by one with proficiency. Andrew is trying to find someone named Cassius, and the reason for his search reveals a tragic past from which there is no escape for the aging leader. 

Following a harrowing military campaign in Afghanistan, where his mental strength was put to the test, much like the rest of his team members—given the extent of everything they had to go through and witness, Andrew ‘Andy’ Coleman is unable to find his peace of mind after retiring from the force. The war never let go of Andy, and suffering from severe PTSD, he found himself unable to connect with his family, leading to his separation from his wife, Elaine, and estrangement from his loving daughter, Rachel. Living alone and trying to make ends meet while working as a hardware store employee, Andrew is barely alive as he is unable to cope with his present reality, which doesn’t value the ideals that defined his life. Andy goes to therapy on a regular basis, but that doesn’t seem to be working either, as his loneliness and trauma are too overbearing to be remedied through counseling. 

Andy’s absence proved to be detrimental in Rachel’s life; as guided by her rebellious angst, she started mixing with bad company. Rachel is unaware that her boyfriend, Cassius, is the son of Lucian, a dreaded druglord, and that he is involved in his father’s business. Cassius shares a strained relationship with his father, an abusive man who was responsible for his mother’s demise. On one occasion, Cassius took Rachel to his friend’s place, whom he used to supply narcotics, and entrusted him to take care of Rachel as he left to attend his father’s affairs. Rachel, who otherwise distanced herself from hard drugs, decided to get high on cocaine after giving in to a dare. As it turns out, the substance was laced with poison, as Rachel met a tragic end by getting asphyxiated. A grieving Coleman came to know about Cassius’ involvement, and considering him to be the culprit, he started following his trail to avenge his daughter’s death.


Did Cassius Learn About The Truth?

On the other hand, Cassius, who was in the dark about Rachel’s death, is devastated after learning that the drugs supplied by him caused her demise. Cassius wanted to keep Rachel away from the dangerous world he belongs to and gets wrecked with guilt after realizing he is to blame for her passing. Although Cassius initially believes that Rachel had overdosed, one of his accomplices, Ava, reveals to him that the drugs were in fact laced with poison. Cassius suspects his father might have orchestrated the whole thing, given he never wanted his son to involve himself with the daughter of a veteran—fearing his illicit trade getting exposed. However, Ava, who is also involved in Lucian’s drug trade, reveals to him that the poisoning was probably done by his father’s former lackey, Callan, now a rival gang leader, who wants to create a rift between Cassius and Lucian.

In the meantime, Andy begins hunting down Cassius’ associates one by one and, on one occasion, finds himself cornered and outnumbered. Andy is rescued by his army buddies, Smudge, Sledge, and Harper, who decide to join their former leader’s quest for vengeance. The team occasionally reminisces about bygone days—all the good and sordid memories of their army days they shared with each other—and it becomes pretty apparent they are no longer the persons they used to be before joining the armed forces. Andy’s crew leaves a trail of blood as they destabilize Lucian’s drug trade. Andy also learns that his daughter loved Cassius, and he starts to speculate whether he is indeed targeting the right person after all. 

Cassius and Ava are abducted by Callan, who considers them to be responsible for the recent death spree, which has affected his business as well. To Cassius’ shock and agony, he learns that Ava was working under Lucian’s orders to spy on Callan and misdirected him deliberately to keep him from knowing the truth that Lucian had poisoned the drugs in the first place. Callan decides to kill Cassius and Ava, but a timely intervention by Andy’s crew results in Cassius escaping with his life. Callan and his lackeys end up dead, and during the shootout, Ava is fatally shot. Before drawing her last breath, she reveals that Cassius has gone to his father, Lucian, and Andy prepares for the final showdown. 


What Happened To Andy?

In Sunray: Fallen Soldier’s ending, Cassius confronts his father about Rachel’s death, but he appears unapologetic, and lectures his son for being too distracted and weak to handle the drug empire he has established. Cassius is unable to stand up to his father and simply makes peace with the horrid truth at the end. Lucian sends his men to abduct Elaine and launches a manhunt for Andy and his crew by sending his goons. Andy and his crew manage to kill their pursuers, and finally, Andy manages to apprehend Lucian by killing all his lackeys. However, much to Andy’s misery, Lucian is revealed to have killed Elaine, and the jaded veteran ends up shooting Lucian to death. Andy spares Cassius’ life, probably to subject him to a similar pain of losing his loved one. Andy goes to a diner with his crew; now that his vengeance has been completed, he can probably have a sense of closure after all. 

It is at this moment that Cassius finds a sense of confidence, as even though he shared a strained relationship with his father, Andy’s act of killing Lucian ignites a vengeful instinct within him. He goes to diner and, in his extremely nervous, anxious state, ends up shooting Andy. At this point the truth is finally revealed, Andy’s war buddies were a mere figment of his imagination—they were never there to begin with as all of them perished during the military campaign in Afghanistan, and he went on a one-man crusade against Lucian and his lackeys from the beginning. The loss of his comrades had resulted in Andy suffering from survivor’s guilt, and his inability to save his daughter—not being there for her when she needed him most—aggravated his deteriorated mental condition. A miserably alone Andy found strength by imagining his friends by his side and tried to absolve his guilt by going on a path of vengeance and violence. The movie ends with Cassius leaving the diner as a dying Andy succumbs to his injuries, and the ending, which might not sit well with everyone, reiterates the importance of mental health and emotional expression, especially for people involved in the armed forces. 


Siddhartha Das
Siddhartha Das
An avid fan and voracious reader of comic book literature, Siddhartha thinks the ideals accentuated in the superhero genre should be taken as lessons in real life also. A sucker for everything horror and different art styles, Siddhartha likes to spend his time reading subjects. He's always eager to learn more about world fauna, history, geography, crime fiction, sports, and cultures. He also wishes to abolish human egocentrism, which can make the world a better place.


 

 

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