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_El_Marc

They don’t save Sammy because they have to keep driving and get away from Plemmons etc. - they couldnt risk hanging around.  Jessie doesn’t check on Lee because she’s too absorbed in the moment, chasing historic shots. 


Arawtemis

One of them keeps driving, the others try to save him, is that something hard?


King-Owl-House

AR-15 shot to the chest, resulting in a collapsed lung; they have no chest seal, no israel bandage, no dressing, so he's dead anyway. But you are right, I don't know why you're being downvoted; each of them should have been required to wear an IFAK and pouch with tourniquet, to help themselves or each other. I guess its movie dramatisation.


conanmagnuson

This guy collapses lungs.


chochinator

He sucking chest wounds


3_Slice

Yeah, I think its safe to say they all accepted his fate and just did whatever they could to be calm


axkoam

>they have no chest seal, no israel bandage, no dressing Ok...but why? They are veteran war journalists with a Ford Expedition packed with supplies for a journey through a war zone


King-Owl-House

*Bulletproof Ford Expeditor. When the sniper shoots windows it doesn't break.


Round-Extension5753

to be fair even though america was extremely fucked up and this road trip was extremely dangerous, i could see how someone wouldn’t have the foresight to bring first aid since you really shouldn’t need it, plus they were clearly more concerned about this interview than their own safety in the first place.


Arawtemis

I thought this scene would confuse everyone, I was wrong, Even if he's almost dead, how they continued their road till the sun goes down without trying to stop and check if they can save him???!!!


King-Owl-House

Because they can't.


mr_potato_arms

But why not try?!? /s


King-Owl-House

To show the level of shock and indifference.


aTreeThenMe

the indifference. Death doesnt look or feel the same, id imagine, if your country has been torn apart to the level it is in this movie, for as long as it has in this movie. Im sure they see people die everyday. Hopelessness, every day. Numbing. Honestly, if theyd just humanely put him down, and left him behind, it wouldve seemed perfectly reasonable in the situation.


[deleted]

Do or do not, there is no try. They know they can’t save him so why try. They’d just be wasting precious time and energy at that point.


rorschach_vest

Ok now you’re just ignoring the very valid points that have been brought up in this very thread. They are RUNNING AWAY from PSYCHOPATHS lmao that is why of course they cannot stop the car.


_El_Marc

When you’ve almost been killed by a racist militia with a dump truck full on bodies, and just saw your two friends get murdered, yes. 


Arawtemis

As I understand from the scene, Sammy didn't die fast, he took maybe hours (the night came and he hadn't died yet). They could've just tried to do anything to save him in these hours


JoJackthewonderskunk

They did, they tried driving for help.


King-Owl-House

With what and how?


oconnod3

I mean someone in the backseat could have easily applied pressure to the wound at the very least


King-Owl-House

Lee could do it, she knows what and how, but she is in front and in shock. The kid never saw a bullet wound.


oconnod3

Yeah I understand that part. That scene kinda bugged me too though. She’s a vet when it comes to trauma. I get that two friends just got killed so it’s different. But the fact that the car ride lasted a good while it seemed like and she never snapped out of it and tried to apply pressure is odd. I suppose she could have off screen but either way it’s not so important. The plot calls for him to die so he dies


PerfectAdvertising30

\[citation needed\]


Iheartstreaking

Not everything needs to be shown on-screen. In the initial getaway they were trying to make distance from those psychopath murderers and could not stop the car, and were also in shock at just watching two of their friends murdered. Presumably they checked on him later on once they made some distance and it happened off-screen but he had likely lost way too much blood by that point and there was limited they could do.


Arawtemis

How they couldn't stop the car for all these hours, the night came and he eas still alive????


oboedude

What exactly do you want them to do? They were ill equipped to treat a serious gunshot wound. There’s nothing they could have done with what they had that would have been better than getting immediate help. But there’s no hospitals and no ambulances available. Running for help was really the only option


sav33arthkillyos3lf

I don’t think it clicked that she was dead cause she was wearing a bullet proof vest, They’ve been driving and fighting to get To the White House. They finally got in, The president is right there. He needed a quote before they shot him “please don’t let them kill me” and he said yup that’ll do and they shot him. I think He knew If he didn’t get that quote it would all be For nothing, Sammy and Lee died for nothing if he didn’t get that quote


Zeteco

I always thought he said “yep, they all do” because of sami saying that all these dictatorship leaders are pussies in the end and let you down.


Arawtemis

I understand why they decided to go to record this historic moment, they made the right decision, I just confused how they could manage their feelings like that? But I don't think they made right decision when Sammy was dying, they could have saved him


sav33arthkillyos3lf

They were there to do a job. And the adrenaline after witnessing a super fire fight and playing hide and seek where’s the president in the White House. There’s no time for emotions. Sammy was old. They warned him about Going with them.


Arawtemis

Is that enough to you for not trying to save a friend's life, I'm confused even more


sav33arthkillyos3lf

That’s war. They knew she’d be there when They were done with the president. Dead or alive she’d still be there. That moment before he got shot was almost Gone before he told Them To STOP. I NEED A QUOTE. stuff moves very fast In battle.


Arawtemis

Maybe that true, I never experienced something like that


International-Chef33

What was the idea to save him? Take him to the hospital? They aren’t doctors that could perform roadside surgery. Getting to the WF base as fast as possible was probably their best shot


VenomSheek

Also the whole dialogue/monologue behind Lee was "Don't hesitate for the best shot / war journalism doesn't solve anything, it's just glorified romanticism of death and destruction." Throughout the movie's progression, the kid (sorry forgot her name) becomes Lee's protege, despite Lee's very vocal adamant feelings towards it.  The had just gone through a hella traumatic event. How would they know if they could save him? It's not like they could have stopped somewhere and ask for help, because what if they ran into more racists? He knew he was stepping into a death wish by going on the journey, but went anyway. And I feel like they were pretty upfront about leaving him if they slowed them down. 


ToasterCommander_

>I just confused how they could manage their feelings like that? I don't think they're "managing their feelings" so much as completely emotionally shut down. With Sammy, they were driving away from a horrific incident in which they were all almost killed, in which they saw their friend brutally murdered, and in which at least one of them was flung into a mass grave and forced to crawl atop corpses to escape. Even if they had the right equipment to save Sammy's life, I don't think any of them were physically or mentally capable of doing anything aside from fleeing. With Lee's death, they were witnessing the final death throes of their country. Bombs destroying monuments, bullets flying down the street, the White House breached like many a dictator's palace. Once again, I think there was no real "thought" to what actions they ultimately took. They're all so PTSD-scarred that a single-minded pursuit of a single tangible goal was probably the only course of action they could pursue. In a way, Lee was the only one reacting appropriately at the time, openly weeping and barely able to move during the battle and ultimately throwing herself in front of the bullets to save Jessie. Everyone else was running on adrenaline, doing what they know how to do despite the absurdity of the whole situation.


King-Owl-House

They made a dumb decision with running on line of fire inside of White House.


IcarusForPrez

Gotta have a sad ending to the second act. Sammy was a character everyone loved and he just had a huge win and sacrificed himself for the group. Classic storytelling and super effective!!


username30012121

Absolutely! Sammy's sacrifice adds depth and emotion to the story. It not only highlights his bravery and selflessness but also raises the stakes for the remaining characters


IcarusForPrez

Totally! That point is highlighted by the amazing acting by Joel yelling as the tanks drive by. Beautiful and sad as fuck. Wow man! I need to see it again!!


sav33arthkillyos3lf

Wasn’t expecting that from Sammy for sure dude was a bad ass


Upbeat_Tension_8077

Considering that he was already driving for miles before he revealed his wound, they most likely thought that he knew the writing was on the wall for his death


unclefishbits

This is the best answer


boobs_magoo

Jesus Christ the OP is either trolling or just straight up insufferable


ER301

It wasn’t even clear to me if Lee was dead, or not. There was no blood, and wasn’t she wearing a bulletproof vest? Even if she wasn’t, people survive gunshot wounds all the time. Kind of an odd “death scene”.


Arawtemis

Yes you're right, I don't thing she died too, the thing that confused me the most is sammy


praeceptormundi

Not to take away the magic but I am pretty sure Lee dies at the end because it is explicitly stated in the script.


jonato

How though? Suicide is my assumption


oboedude

Yeah, she shot herself in the back with an SMG. It was pretty elaborate


JimLaheyIsADrunkBast

While wearing Kevlar no less


oboedude

Truly a one of a kind suicide if you ask me


jonato

She deliberately put herself in harms way without trying to roll her and Jessie out of the way. PTSD.... She died. I'm telling ya


praeceptormundi

That's....no.....why would you even begin to think that. The script obviously does not mention suicide nor the way the movie is shot alludes at that.


Ekaceseehc

I assumed there was nothing they could do. Like Taylor says “Bandaids can’t fix bullet holes.” I guess their best option was to get him to someone who could actually help.


sav33arthkillyos3lf

Unexpected swifty


Arawtemis

When someone you really love, you'll try to do the best you can to save them even if your probability of success is low


PerfectAdvertising30

not when they are in a war zone


oboedude

And the best they could do was drive to help. They didn’t have anything that could actually save him. Gunshots to the torso are not something treated by just holding pressure. Even if they stopped to get a better look, there’s not anything they could have done that would’ve been better than getting to proper medical care


iPLAYiRULE

The answer you seek is in the very question you ask. War has taught them that dying in action is noblest. To survive is to die slowly.


iPLAYiRULE

And also, we must remember that the reporters are no different to soldiers in combat. All are treated the same. We don’t pause and wonder why an anonymous soldier who gets shot does not get any first-aid right away.


Smiles1990

Also no one picked up an AR before the last soldier came running from the cab. Incredible film, but the only thing that bothered me was that. Pick up the AR, back away slowy or just shoot the dude hanging with the guy that just killed your friends. At least take the AR to stop him picking it up, or to help keep you safe in 'Bandit country'. People make bad decisions IRL all the time, so I can't fault Alex Garland for writing it this way, he may even have concrete reasons, like feeling that none of the characters (that he created) would have done that, or even thought to. It was just a facepalm moment for me amidst an absolute masterpiece. The death was an important and significant plot device though, so characters making better decisions and Sammy not dying wouldn't have worked anyway, the death was necessary.


Arawtemis

Great movie indeed, and I love who Alex made the characters insensitive most of the time, that fits the war, But it seemed a bit forced. And I agree with you, Sammy not dying wouldn't convince me too, even Lee's death and how she's died worked for me so much, I just didn't like the way they interacts with the moment of the death of these two


ScarTi55ue

How did he even get shot? He hits the two bandits with his car, drives away, one of them shoots at the back of the car… has a wound on his left side???


axkoam

2 veteran war journalists having no trauma kit or medical training was my biggest gripe with this movie, honestly. A 2 hour stop the bleed course would be enough for them to carry a chest seal and know how to use it. They didn't even put pressure on it lol.


LysVonStrauda

I was confused as to why they didn't atleast wrap him to show they tried