Warning! The following contains spoilers for Apex. Read at your own risk!
Charlize Theron's Apex is available to stream with a Netflix subscription, and as someone who absolutely loved it, I highly recommend it. Others at CinemaBlend have their issues with it, especially because of the ending. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, though I couldn't help but think they had a point when my coworker questioned if Taron Egerton's serial killing hiker, Ben, actually had to climb the mountain at the end.
Admittedly, I hadn't thought about it in the moment, so I had to go back and see what the movie had to say about it. Fortunately, upon rewatch, I now have an answer, and was reminded of a few details I'd since forgotten after watching.
How Apex Ended Sasha And Ben's Showdown In The National Park
After a violent pursuit through the woods, Sasha and Ben end up tethered together at the end of a riverbank. Ben has broken his leg and is unable to walk. As for Sasha, she's still in solid shape, but handcuffed with little knowledge of the area. She's told by Ben that the only way out of the woods is by climbing the mountain in front of them, which gives her an idea.
Sasha suggests they do a tandem climb, with Ben anchoring her and her hoisting him via a sling setup to keep weight off his leg. Ben reluctantly agrees, knowing the only other option he has is starving to death. He attaches the tether to her harness and tells her that if she successfully gets them to the top, he'll set her free. Betray him, and he'll yank the tether and pull her off the mountainside.
It takes some effort, but Sasha is finally able to create some distance from Ben and tie the rope off in an effort to abandon Ben on the mountain. Unfortunately, he catches on and attempts to rip her off her ledge. Sasha's harness is stripped from her, and Ben is sent falling to his death on the rocks below. While she's forced to complete the rest of the perilous climb without a harness, Sasha arrives at the top and finds help. The movie ends with Sasha telling rangers about Ben's hiding place, where he hid all the bodies of missing hikers.
Why Sasha Couldn't Abandon Ben And Make The Climb Herself
It isn't entirely impossible to believe Sasha could've made the climb by herself, but Apex does a pretty good job of justifying it. For example, Ben is in possession of the rope needed to make the climb and is armed with a knife and able to fend her off if he needs to.
Additionally, Ben only agreed to remove Sasha's handcuffs for the climb until they were at the rock, and after he had secured his tether to her harness. This gave him full power to yank her from the rocks whenever he saw fit, which he did a couple of times. She didn't really have a chance to escape in that moment, and more or less had to go ahead with the plan and create some distance, given Ben's superior strength.
Sasha could've waited for Ben to die of starvation, thirst, or infection, but remember, she's suffering during that time as well. Who knows how long it'd take for him to pass, and if she'd have the strength to scale the mountain by the time it happened. Personally, I think Sasha made the right play, especially with little knowledge of the area.
That's my takeaway, but anyone interested can rewatch Apex on Netflix and decide for themselves.
