All the Old Knives (2022) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Henry is tasked by Vick Wallinger to investigate the CIA leak connected to Turkish Alliance 127. Since both Henry and Celia worked at the Vienna station during the 2012 hijacking, she is a key witness and potential suspect in the investigation. Their past romantic relationship adds significant tension to the professional inquiry.

• henry pelham
• cia investigation
• celia harrison
• vienna station
• mole hunt

Turkish Alliance 127 refers to the 2012 terrorist hijacking of Flight 127, where four militants seized the plane on the runway in Vienna. The hijackers threatened to kill passengers unless their imprisoned comrades were released, giving authorities a 24-hour deadline. When their demands weren't met, they released Sarin gas aboard the flight, causing massive casualties.

• flight 127
• hijacking
• sarin gas
• vienna
• terrorist attack

Henry himself was the leak. Years earlier, he had been manipulated by Russian intelligence into revealing information that compromised Ilyas Shushani, an asset working with the CIA. This betrayal was done under the guise of protecting Celia, but it ultimately led to the catastrophic failure during the hijacking and made Henry complicit in the breach that allowed the tragedy to occur.

Foreshadowing: Celia's suspicion of compromised communications during the crisis hints at internal betrayal.

• cia mole
• henry pelham leak
• ilyas shushani
• vienna station
• betrayal

The day after the Sarin gas attack, Celia ended her relationship with Henry because she had seen a call from a number linked to Iran on his phone. This discovery made her suspect he was involved in the leak or compromised operations, though the full truth about his manipulation by Russian handlers wouldn't emerge until years later.

• celia harrison
• breakup
• iran phone call
• betrayal
• 2012

The Iranian-linked number on Henry's phone was part of his manipulation by Russian intelligence handlers. They used this connection to frame him as compromised and force him to reveal information about Ilyas Shushani. Celia saw this call and correctly suspected he was involved in the leak, though she didn't understand the full context of Russian coercion at the time.

• iran phone
• russian intelligence
• henry manipulated
• spy manipulation

Celia poisoned Henry as revenge for his betrayal that contributed to the Flight 127 disaster. Her meeting with him was orchestrated by Karl Stein as part of a larger conspiracy. When Celia learned the truth about Henry's role in the leak, how his actions led to the compromised operation that resulted in the Sarin gas attack, she chose to kill him rather than let him walk away free.

• celia poison
• henry death
• revenge
• karl stein conspiracy
• flight 127

Karl Stein was an Austrian intelligence operative who orchestrated the entire confrontation between Henry and Celia. He deliberately arranged their meeting in California as a setup, using Celia's grief and anger over the 2012 tragedy to execute his own agenda. Karl informed Vick Wallinger of Henry's demise, revealing a deeper conspiracy that extends beyond the original leak investigation.

• karl stein
• austrian intelligence
• conspiracy
• celia harrison setup

Ilyas Shushani was one of the four terrorists who hijacked Flight 127, though notably he was not on the plane itself during the takeover. As a key planner, he coordinated the operation from outside while the militants executed the seizure on the runway. His arrest in Afghanistan in 2020 provided the crucial leads that reopened the CIA's investigation into the Vienna station breach.

• ilyas shushani
• hijacker
• afghanistan arrest
• cia investigation
• vienna

When the hijackers' demands weren't met within the 24-hour deadline, they released Sarin gas aboard Flight 127, resulting in devastating loss of life. This tragedy became the pivotal event that haunted both Henry and Celia, fundamentally changing their lives and their relationship. It also marked the failure that the CIA's reopened investigation aimed to understand and avenge.

• sarin gas
• flight 127 casualties
• terrorist attack
• vienna
• tragedy

Henry was manipulated by Russian intelligence into revealing information about Ilyas Shushani, who was working as a CIA asset. The Russians framed this as necessary for maintaining relations with the Russian government. This betrayal compromised the operation and contributed to the catastrophic events of Flight 127, though Henry believed he was protecting Celia at the time.

• henry betray
• ilyas shushani
• russian intelligence
• cia asset
• manipulation

Vick Wallinger was Henry's superior who tasked him with investigating the leak, seemingly unaware that Henry himself was the mole. However, the ending reveals that Karl Stein contacted Vick to inform him of Henry's death, suggesting Vick may have been part of the larger conspiracy or at least complicit in allowing the confrontation to play out.

• vick wallinger
• cia superior
• conspiracy
• henry death
• karl contact

Yes, Celia has a family in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. After her breakup with Henry following the 2012 tragedy, she chose to build a different life away from CIA work. At the film's end, after poisoning Henry, she returns to her family, choosing that life over the broken man before her, fulfilling the tragic arc of someone torn between her past and her attempt at normalcy.

• celia family
• carmel california
• new life
• return home