Deadlock (1970) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Dump sees an opportunity to take the money from an easy target. When he finds Kid collapsed from his wound and exhaustion, Dump seizes the suitcase full of money and leaves him for dead, showing his opportunistic and ruthless nature. However, he returns to the scene, either to ensure Kid is dead or out of some conflicting impulse, whereupon Kid regains consciousness and forces Dump at gunpoint to drive him to safety.

Foreshadowing: Dump's initial theft establishes his self-serving character, foreshadowing his later attempts to betray both Kid and Sunshine for the money.

• charles dump
• kid
• money theft
• desert
• stealing

Dump hopes the bullet wound will become infected and kill Kid, eliminating him as a rival for the money. He deliberately leaves the bullet in the arm, refusing medical intervention despite Kid's suffering. Only when Jessy quietly persuades him does Dump finally remove the bullet, allowing Kid to begin healing, though Dump's initial intent was clearly murderous.

Foreshadowing: This moment reveals Dump's willingness to let others die for his gain, establishing the deadly stakes that drive the entire film.

• bullet wound
• infection
• charles dump
• murder intent

Sunshine discovers the metal case contains only bricks and a note reading 'Sorry old man', meaning Kid switched the money and trickled Dump. Enraged at being outsmarted and believing Kid knows where the real money is, Sunshine returns to the camp and demands answers. When Kid doesn't provide a satisfactory response, Sunshine shoots both Corinna and Jessy in cold vengeance, treating their lives as worthless collateral.

Foreshadowing: The earlier moment when Kid claims he was shot by an unknown party while trying to escape on a train hints that he had already made separate plans with the money.

• sunshine
• corinna
• jessy
• murder
• bricks
• note

When Sunshine opens the metal case far from the camp, he discovers it contains only bricks weighed down to simulate money, plus a note that reads 'Sorry old man.' This reveals that Kid never had the real money, or had already switched the cases, making the entire struggle over the loot meaningless and exposing who really orchestrated the deception.

Foreshadowing: Kid's earlier claim that he was shot while trying to escape on a train suggests he had already secured the actual money and abandoned the fake case.

• suitcase
• bricks
• note
• sunshine
• kid money

Sunshine decides to cut his losses and drive away with what he believes is the money, leaving Kid and Jessy behind. He discards one gun and tells Kid to use the remaining weapon on himself, essentially abandoning them to die in the harsh desert. This is Sunshine's final act of betrayal, he takes what he thinks is the loot and abandons his partner, not knowing the money was never real.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Kid notices Sunshine cocking a gun during the drive, realizing he is being double-crossed, which prepares the audience for this abandonment.

• sunshine abandonment
• kid
• jessy
• desert
• betrayal

Dump attempts to gain the upper hand by intercepting Sunshine's gun and firing at him, believing he could eliminate this new threat and keep all the money for himself. However, he discovers the gun is unloaded, a dangerous miscalculation that leaves him exposed and demonstrates the constant psychological warfare among the three men trying to control the loot.

Foreshadowing: This failed bluff sets the stage for the constantly shifting power dynamics and failed schemes that define the characters' fates.

• dump
• sunshine
• bluff
• unloaded gun
• power play

Jessy, a mute girl who has lived isolated with her mother Corinna and Dump, hopes to join Kid and Sunshine as they depart, possibly seeking a different life or attachment to Kid after their night together. Her mute nature makes her vulnerability more stark, she cannot call for help when danger arrives, and her following represents hope mixed with naivety in a world that quickly destroys her.

Foreshadowing: The intimate moment between Kid and Jessy the night before establishes a connection that makes her decision to follow them emotionally understandable.

• jessy
• follow
• kid
• desert
• escape

When Sunshine returns to the camp after discovering the bricks and demands to know where the real money is, Kid waits for his moment. As Sunshine turns violent, shooting Corinna and Jessy in rage, Kid seizes the opportunity and shoots Sunshine dead, turning the tables on the man who just murdered two innocent people. Kid then walks away alone into the desert, surviving but with the money's true location remaining unknown.

Foreshadowing: The moment when Kid notices Sunshine cocking his gun earlier signals Kid's awareness that he must be ready to act defensively.

• kid
• sunshine
• final confrontation
• survival
• murder

Dump returns to the desert location where he left Kid, likely to either confirm the dead man is truly gone or to take any remaining valuables. Kid, having regained consciousness, seizes this opportunity and forces Dump at gunpoint to drive him to safety. This creates their uneasy partnership, the opportunistic thief now bound to the wounded robber he tried to rob.

Foreshadowing: Dump's return introduces the central relationship of the film and sets in motion the chain of events where three criminals vie for control of the money.

• dump returns
• kid
• captivity
• driving

The film never explicitly reveals what happened to the real money Kid stole. The fake case with bricks and the 'Sorry old man' note suggests Kid either hid the real money somewhere before reaching Dump's compound or arranged for it to be retrieved separately. The ambiguous ending leaves this question unresolved, Kid walks away into the desert, and the fate of the money remains an open mystery.

Foreshadowing: Kid's claim that he was shot while trying to escape on a train implies he had already secured the money before reaching Dump's location.

• real money
• bank robbery
• mystery
• ambiguous ending