McVeigh ending explained: Does Timothy bomb the federal building?

McVeigh is a 2024 drama film directed by Mike Ott from a screenplay he co-wrote with Alex Gioulakis. Produced by Rouge Wave Pictures and Symbolic Exchange, the film premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 7, 2024, before getting a wider release on March 21, 2025.

The film chronicles the true story of Timothy McVeigh, one of the most infamous figures in modern American history and the perpetrator of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. The official synopsis of the film reads:

"A haunting psychological thriller based on the chilling real-life events of the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in American history."

The film stars Alfie Allen, Brett Gelman, Ashley Benson, Anthony Carrigan, and Tracy Letts in prominent roles.

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McVeigh explores the life of the infamous terrorist before the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing

McVeigh begins with the titular character, played by Alfie Allen, being stopped by a police officer on a highway en route to Oklahoma City. The cop does a routine search and lets him go, unaware that the person is going to be responsible for one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in history.

The film then shifts to the outskirts of Oklahoma, where Timothy sets up a stall at a local gun and ammo sale. His stall doesn't get many customers, but occasionally, one or two individuals buy bumper stickers. A chatty man named Frederic introduces himself to Timothy one day, but the latter gives him a false name, Tim Tuttel.

Timothy also spends some time at the local shooting range with his friend Terry Nichols, played by Brett Gelman. He finds Cindy, a waitress, at the range and asks her out, leading to a romantic relationship. Although Timothy's life appears normal and mundane from a distance, the film consistently maintains an eerie atmosphere, as if he is never truly present anywhere and is always thinking something sinister.

In one instance, he purposefully bumps into a black man who is talking to a white lady, and when confronted, he smirks and leaves. But he was waiting outside in his car with a sniper gun. Somehow, a car parked between his gun and the black man saved him.

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Timothy McVeigh got inspired by Terry's homemade explosives and the Waco seige

As Timothy McVeigh ate, slept, and spent time with his girlfriend, something unthinkable was cooking inside his disturbed head. Witnessing a homemade bomb go off at co-conspirator Terry Nichols' house gave his thoughts a definitive shape. He decides to blow up a federal building using a much bigger bomb.

Another reason behind his motive was the infamous Waco siege incident in 1993. During the siege, a religious cult called the Branch Davidians was raided by federal agents under suspicion of numerous illegal activities going on inside the community. The Branch Dravidians did not allow the agents to come in without a gunfight, leading to a siege that went on for months.

Unfortunately, the siege ended in the most horrific way possible when a fire killed the remaining members of the cult, including women and children. Timothy was one of the supporters of the Branch Davidians and believed that the federal government shouldn't have intervened in their internal matters.

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The film ended with real-life news clips after the Oklahoma City bombings

Throughout the film, the titular character goes to meet the infamous white supremacist Richard Snell, who was in prison for killing two men. He shows no remorse for his actions and is clearly a motivating factor for Timothy to commit the heinous crime. Timothy executes his plan on the same day Snell is executed, April 19, 1995.

On the day of the bombing, Terry bails on Timothy, and thus, he executes the plot alone. The film never shows the actual bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, but ends with the actual footage of the crime scene.

Timothy McVeigh's horrific act took 168 lives and injured hundreds of others. He was caught 90 minutes after the bomb went off and was sentenced to death in 1977.

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Stay tuned for more news and updates on McVeigh and other upcoming films and TV shows.