North by Northwest - Ending Explained

The central twist of "North by Northwest" is the revelation that the man Roger Thornhill is mistaken for, George Kaplan, does not exist. He is a 'MacGuffin', a decoy agent invented by a U.S. intelligence agency, led by The Professor, to mislead foreign spy Phillip Vandamm and protect their real operative. This fact, revealed to Thornhill midway through the film, reframes his ordeal: he is not just a victim of mistaken identity, but a pawn in a deadly game between two governments.

The second major twist involves the character of Eve Kendall. After Thornhill falls for her, she appears to betray him to Vandamm at an auction. Later, it is revealed that she is, in fact, the real U.S. agent that the George Kaplan decoy was created to protect. Her relationship with Vandamm is part of her deep cover operation. To save her cover after Thornhill exposes it, The Professor stages a public 'murder' where Eve appears to shoot Thornhill in the Mount Rushmore cafeteria, firing a gun loaded with blanks. This allows them to get Thornhill to safety and convince Vandamm of Eve's loyalty.

The climax reveals the spies' objective: smuggling microfilm hidden inside a Pre-Columbian statue. Vandamm's henchman, Leonard, reveals he was always suspicious of Eve, having discovered her gun was loaded with blanks. This leads to the final confrontation on Mount Rushmore, where Vandamm attempts to murder Eve. The film ends with Thornhill, now a fully-fledged hero, rescuing Eve from the cliffside. The final shot abruptly cuts from him pulling her up the cliff to pulling her onto the top bunk of a train, now as his wife, followed by the symbolic shot of the train entering a tunnel, cheekily signifying the consummation of their marriage.

While largely a straightforward thriller, "North by Northwest" has invited several alternative readings. One common interpretation views the film as a Cold War allegory, with Roger Thornhill representing the naive, apolitical American citizen forcibly awakened to the grim realities of international espionage. In this reading, the suave but villainous Vandamm represents the sophisticated threat of foreign powers, while the coldly pragmatic Professor embodies a morally ambiguous American government willing to sacrifice individuals for the 'greater good.'

Another interpretation views Thornhill's journey in psychological terms, as a man escaping from an Oedipal attachment to his domineering mother. His adventure forces him to mature, break away from her influence, and form an adult relationship with a capable woman, Eve. The entire spy plot can be seen as an elaborate and dangerous rite of passage, transforming him from a 'mama's boy' into a self-reliant hero.

Furthermore, Martin Landau, who played the henchman Leonard, famously chose to portray the character as homosexual and jealous of Vandamm's affection for Eve. This subtle subtext, though not explicit due to the era's production codes, adds a layer of psychological complexity to the villain's entourage and Leonard's motivation for exposing Eve.