Greed (2020) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Amanda releases the lion deliberately because she has a personal grievance against McCreadie. Earlier in the film, she reveals to Nick that her mother worked in a Sri Lankan sweatshop supplying McCreadie's fashion empire and died after being fired when she could no longer work. The lion attack is her act of revenge for her mother's death, though the circumstances are complicated by Finn having drugged the animal beforehand.

Foreshadowing: Amanda's earlier confession about her mother's death foreshadows her decision to act violently against McCreadie.

• amanda
• lion attack
• revenge
• sweatshop
• mother death

McCreadie dies after stumbling into the arena where a live lion is kept. He enters in a drunken state, and the lion, already drugged by Finn who laced its food with cocaine, attacks and mauls him to death. Amanda seizes the moment to release the beast, ensuring McCreadie cannot survive the encounter. Nick witnesses the entire killing but chooses not to intervene or expose Amanda.

Foreshadowing: Finn's drugging of the lion and the poorly constructed arena set earlier signal the deadly climax to come.

• mccreadie death
• lion mauling
• arena
• finn
• cocaine

Finn drugs the lion as part of his self-destructive trajectory and implicit rebellion against his father. Having grown up in the shadow of McCreadie's ruthless empire, Finn is conflicted, restless, and using drugs. His actions suggest a desire to disrupt the spectacle and perhaps unleash chaos, though the full motive remains tied to his broader resentment toward his father's legacy and control.

Foreshadowing: Finn's earlier characterization as a conflicted son with Oedipal impulses and a dangerous path hints at his destructive actions.

• finn
• lion
• cocaine
• rebellion
• son

After McCreadie is killed by the lion, his son Finn takes over the family fashion empire. The film suggests he will continue using the same duplicitous and ruthless tactics his father employed. Meanwhile, Nick completes the memoir but reshapes it into a hagiography, producing flattering obituaries that sanitize McCreadie's legacy rather than expose his crimes.

Foreshadowing: The film's closing reveals Finn stepping into his father's shoes, implying the cycle of exploitation will persist.

• finn
• empire
• inheritance
• business
• legacy

McCreadie uses a three-card monte con to manipulate refugee workers into staying and laboring at his party. The trick involves deception and gambling, preying on vulnerable people who have few options. This scene illustrates McCreadie's characteristic exploitation of the desperate, using psychological manipulation rather than outright force to get what he wants.

Foreshadowing: The earlier establishment of McCreadie's ruthless business practices and his willingness to exploit others foreshadows this manipulation.

• three-card monte
• refugees
• exploitation
• coercion
• labor

Nick helps Amanda escape because he has developed a moral crisis over his role in whitewashing McCreadie's image. Working on the memoir has exposed him to the human cost of McCreadie's wealth, particularly through Amanda's story about her mother. Witnessing the violence triggers his conscience, and he chooses to protect Amanda rather than contribute to further injustice.

Foreshadowing: Nick's ethical wrestling throughout the film, especially his conversations with Amanda, builds toward this moral choice.

• nick
• amanda
• witness
• escape
• conscience

After helping kill McCreadie and keeping the secret with Nick, Amanda returns to work in a Leicester sweatshop. This closing image illustrates the cyclical nature of exploitation the film critiques, she has sought personal revenge but remains trapped in the same system that killed her mother. The film presents this as a bitter commentary on how the powerful escape accountability while the vulnerable remain caught in cycles of abuse.

Foreshadowing: Amanda's backstory about her mother's death in a sweatshop directly connects to her return to the same exploitative environment.

• amanda
• sweatshop
• Leicester
• exploitation
• cycle

McCreadie's wealth came from unethical and exploitative practices. His empire relied on sweatshops in Southeast Asia, aggressive tax avoidance, and asset stripping that undervalued the labor of workers. The film reveals he cultivated a public image of celebrity and success while building his business on the backs of underpaid, overworked people in dangerous conditions.

Foreshadowing: The government's inquiry into financial and ethical abuses at the start of the film foreshadows the exposure of these practices.

• sweatshops
• tax avoidance
• exploitation
• fashion empire
• wealth

McCreadie's 60th birthday party on Mykonos is designed as an extravagant Gladiator-themed celebration to reinforce his public persona as a powerful, commanding figure. The ostentatious spectacle serves as both self-celebration and image rehabilitation following the government inquiry into his business practices. The theme reflects his lifelong obsession with image, control, and projecting dominance.

Foreshadowing: The contrast between the lavish party and the refugee camp underscores the film's critique of wealth and power.

• birthday party
• Gladiator
• Mykonos
• spectacle
• image

Samantha, McCreadie's ex-wife who once ran the family's public image as CEO, rejects his advances at the party. This rejection highlights the emotional chasm between them and reflects her complicated feelings about a man she once helped prop up but now recognizes as morally bankrupt. Her rejection occurs shortly before McCreadie's fatal encounter in the arena, adding to his emotional unraveling.

Foreshadowing: Samantha's presence throughout the film as a figure who knows both the public and private McCreadie sets up this moment of rejection.

• samantha
• rejection
• ex-wife
• advances
• emotional conflict

The film uses a non-linear structure to contrast McCreadie's current public crisis with his rise to power. It opens with the government inquiry exposing his present vulnerabilities, then flashes back to his school days and early business ventures. This structure reveals how his current wealth and image were built on the same ruthless, exploitative practices now under scrutiny, deepening the critique of his character.

Foreshadowing: The opening scene at the government inquiry establishes the tension that the flashbacks gradually explain.

• non-linear
• timeline
• flashback
• rise to power
• structure

The closing credits feature factual information about exploitation and inequality in the fashion industry, reinforcing the film's central critique. These facts connect the fictional narrative to real-world issues, emphasizing that McCreadie's story represents systemic problems rather than an isolated case of one corrupt businessman.

Foreshadowing: The film's consistent juxtaposition of opulence with exploitation throughout prepares viewers for this factual revelation.

• credits
• fashion industry
• facts
• exploitation
• inequality