The Ending Of The Bodyguard Explained

With the Whitney Houston biopic, "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" slated to hit screens in December, it's the perfect time to revisit Houston's acting debut, starring opposite Kevin Costner as a pop star threatened by a stalker in, "The Bodyguard." Although critics panned the film, it was a box office mega-hit and produced the all-time best-selling movie soundtrack. It's a doomed love story about two people from different worlds forming a bond during intense events, but it also explores the dark side of celebrity.

In 1989, three years before "The Bodyguard" was released, actress Rebecca Schaeffer was murdered by her stalker, Robert John Bardo, who shot Schaeffer at her L.A. apartment. The murder shook the entertainment industry and led to new legislation in California to prevent stalking. Although the script for Houston's debut film was written long before this tragedy, the fear of dangerous stalkers became palpable for celebrities (per E! News).

"The Bodyguard" tells the story of Rachel Marron (Whitney Houston), a pop star anticipating her first Oscar nomination, who is forced to employ a new bodyguard when her manager, Devaney (Bill Cobbs), is troubled by threatening letters sent to the singer. Devaney convinces Frank Farmer (Kevin Costner), a former Secret Service agent, to protect Rachel. Rachel is resistant to Frank's strict methods but finds herself intrigued by the taciturn bodyguard. After a scare in Miami, Rachel agrees to do anything Frank suggests to keep her son safe. Stick with us, and we'll explain the ending of "The Bodyguard." 

Unable to leave the cabin because the cars were disabled, Frank secures the windows and doors, intent on keeping everyone safe through the night so they can hike to town at dawn. When Frank finds Nicki drinking in the kitchen, she is distraught and admits she hired a hitman at a bar in East L.A. through an intermediary named Armando. Nicki explains that the threatening letters were already coming, and they gave her the idea of hiring the hitman.

Fletcher, being put in harm's way, was a wake-up call for Nicki, making the contract on Rachel's life suddenly all too real. Nicki insists through tears that despite hiring a hitman because she hates her sister, she would never harm Fletcher. This admission brings us back to Nicki and Frank's conversation earlier in the film about how Nicki was the one who started a band in high school but quit making music after it became clear Rachel was the star of the family.

While sibling rivalries are common and feeling jealous of a sibling's success is unsurprising, Nicki took her animosity toward her sister to a new level when she hired someone to kill Rachel in "The Bodyguard." Although Frank questions Nicki about the hitman, it quickly becomes clear the contract is paid in full, and the hitman will continue his attempts until Rachel is dead. Nicki says she doesn't know who the hitman is, and he is also unaware of her identity, making it impossible to cancel the contract on Rachel's life.

After Nicki's funeral, Frank has a conversation with Fletcher when the boy tells Frank he can't sleep because he's too afraid. Frank tells Fletcher, "Everybody's afraid of something. That's how we know we care about things when we're afraid we'll lose them," explaining he isn't afraid of the man who shot Nicki, but "I'm afraid of not... being there," to protect Rachel.

This conversation between Fletcher and Frank harkens back to Frank's father, Herb, telling Rachel that Frank has never forgiven himself for taking the day off when President Reagan was shot to attend his mother's funeral. Reagan's assignation attempt was a defining moment in Frank's life and career as a Secret Service agent. Because he could not forgive himself for not being there to protect the president, Frank went into private security, only accepting short-term positions and building a wall between himself and his clients.

This admission helps us understand why Frank resisted becoming romantically involved with Rachel, despite his attraction to her. Even after their night together, Frank pulls away from her, reestablishing a professional distance, because he needs to keep it clear in his mind what his priorities are as her bodyguard. This also helps us understand the significance of Frank apologizing to Rachel on the dock for getting "careless" and letting down his guard long enough to enjoy visiting his father. Frank is terrified of failing another client.

Despite the looming threat, Rachel is intent on attending the Oscars, saying, "Screw it. I'm tired of worrying about it. When your time is up, it's up. Right, Frank?" This was a sentiment Whitney Houston related to. In a 1992 interview, Houston told Jimmy Carter, "I identified with Rachel so much" and explained she had received threatening letters from a fan in the past.

Houston shared that much like her character Rachel in "The Bodyguard," Houston went on stage despite the threats. She didn't cancel her show and performed for the fans who had come out to see her. Houston admitted it wasn't just for her fans, she didn't want to let one dangerous fanatic take what she loved to do away from her.

As soon as Rachel's limousine arrives on the red carpet, the tension is palpable, and her team is on edge. The crowd eagerly awaits her outside, and the constant buzzing action behind the scenes depicts how difficult it will be for Frank and Tony (Mike Starr) to protect Rachel when they can't be at her side every moment during the Oscar ceremony.

The kicker comes when the production team tells Frank he must shut off his earpiece because it is causing feedback on their communication devices. Once Frank can't speak with Tony over the earpiece, it is clear everything will work against Frank's efforts to keep Rachel safe in the choreographed chaos of an Oscars ceremony.

After Rachel's outburst, Frank realizes Portman (Tomas Arana), the bodyguard who Frank spoke with at the charity event in Miami and earlier at the Oscars, is nowhere near the Oscar host whom Portman claimed to be guarding during the awards show. Frank suddenly realizes Portman, whom Frank worked with in the Secret Service, must be the hired hitman.

Suddenly, everything clicks into place as Frank realizes Portman knows enough about Frank's personal life to have tracked them to his father's cabin where Nicki was killed. This is also when the audience realizes just how close Rachel came to being murdered in Miami when she invited Portman into her bedroom while trying to make Frank jealous.

Portman has the perfect cover for a contract killer; he is a bodyguard and former Secret Service agent who knows enough about private security to know how to talk his way into restricted events and has the experience as a bodyguard to anticipate Frank's actions while trying to protect his client. Unfortunately, Rachel is too angry and embarrassed to listen to Frank when he tells her, "Rachel, I know who it is."

Despite making a genuine romantic connection after protecting Rachel from the hitman at the Oscars, Frank finds Rachel a new bodyguard to replace him and they go their separate ways. As they kiss goodbye on the tarmac, "I Will Always Love You" plays as a tribute to what they shared. Ultimately, Frank and Rachel are mature enough to recognize that their lives won't fit together despite their chemistry. In an interview, Whitney Houston said, "Their worlds just don't mix," despite the respect and care they feel for each other. In the same interview, director Mick Jackson agreed with Houston, saying, "This was about two people who fall in love, and also this is a collision of two worlds."

Although some viewers were disappointed by this ending, director Jackson thought it was cinematic and romantic, saying, "They don't get together in the end. It's almost like 'Casablanca,'" ending on a bittersweet note. The scriptwriter Lawrence Kasdan, thought the film left it more open-ended, saying, "in the original draft it was clear they would never come back together." In the last moments of "The Bodyguard," we see they have both gone back to their separate lives. Rachel is performing onstage, and Frank has moved on to his next client and back to his comfort zone, protecting an archbishop at a political event. Despite his fascination with Rachel, Frank is too guarded and set in his ways to take a risk by diving into a relationship with Rachel.