Directed by RJ Collins, the crime thriller Crescent City revolves around a serial killer whose victims were men, women, and queer people between the ages of 20 and 40. The killer was obsessed with mannequins, always beheading his victims and leaving a mannequin at the crime scene. Police detectives Brian Stutter and Luke Carson were assigned to the serial killer’s case but had not made a breakthrough yet. Their boss, Captain Howell, introduced them to detective Jaclyn Waters, who was transferred from Tulsa to investigate the case. The duo were not happy with Waters’ intervention, but they had no choice. Eventually, they learned about a website that Brian had previously noticed scrawled on the walls of his church restroom. Was the killer targeting churchgoers? Or was the church involved in the murders? Let’s find out from the detailed synopsis of the movie and the explanation of Crescent City‘s end.
Spoiler alert
How did the police find out about Redwater Farms?
Brian, the church-going, God-fearing detective, was having an affair with Jaclyn. The new recruit was not a homicide specialist; she was from Internal Affairs and was assigned to investigate the Crawford case Brian was working on. A year ago, he had been involved in a drug bust in which a teenager was shot and a large sum of money went missing. Jaclyn needed to find out if Brian was the one who shot the boy and stole the money. The case still haunted Brian; he lived with the constant guilt of shooting a young boy when he reached into his pocket to get his ID. He had pulled the trigger and assumed the worst, only to find out he had made a terrible mistake. Brian had trouble sleeping and lately he had started to faint when he got into a difficult situation. Brian decided not to talk to Jaclyn about his past. He felt guilty for cheating on his wife and children, but he couldn’t seem to stay away from Jaclyn. He had rented Redwater Farms to spend time with his mistress away from his family.
While investigating the serial killings, the detective came across a possible suspect, Travis Reed. He had been on the website that the police had been tracking. The detectives wanted to arrest Reed after he tried to force himself on Jaclyn during an undercover mission, but managed to escape. Reed was later arrested at the church, and Pastor Lawson was also believed to be involved in the murder case. The pastor pleaded with the police to let Reed go, vouching for his innocence. Lawson had known Reed since he was 12 and had helped him leave the Satanic church. Reed suffered from mental health issues, and the pastor had helped him heal. Lawson eventually confided in the police that he had recently heard a rumor in the church – the killer was taking his victims to Redwater Farms. It seemed as though someone had confessed the truth to the pastor, but he refused to reveal the man’s identity. The recent development in the case worried Brian. Apparently someone knew about his affair and that he frequently visited Redwater Farms. Did the killer want revenge on Brian? Or was there something more sinister behind it?
Did Jaclyn trick Brian?
Jaclyn felt guilty about her affair with Brian. She felt it was important that they come clean to Captain Howell, as their relationship affected the case to some extent. Brian disagreed; he reminded them that they could lose their jobs if they confessed the truth. Not only that, but Brian feared losing his family. He confessed the truth to his partner, Detective Luke Carson, adding that he believed someone was trying to set him up. Luke was disappointed in Brian. He suspected that it was Jaclyn who was trying to frame Brian. He believed that she was not happy about being Brian’s second choice and she was trying to punish him for it. Brian didn’t know what to believe, but he was confident that his affair would no longer be a secret. He confessed the truth to his wife and spent the night in church, asking God for forgiveness.
During a conversation with church warden Gopal, Brian learned of a disturbing secret. The man who had spread the rumor about Redwater Farms was none other than his partner and friend, Detective Luke Carson. Brian had always known that Luke was a corrupt cop with a disturbing past, but he didn’t understand why Luke was trying to frame him. Meanwhile, Jaclyn had told Captain Howell about her relationship with Brian and also that she suspected his involvement in the Crawford case. Howell suspended Brian and Luke. Later that night, Brian confronted Luke about starting the rumor. Luke denied the accusation; he stated that he had heard about the rumor from a girl he met at a bar, and that was before Brian had told him his secret. Luke tried to turn Brian against Jaclyn. He told Brian that her husband and child had died in a car accident and that the incident had changed her. Luke thought they had more than enough reasons to doubt Jaclyn, but Brian wasn’t ready to accuse her of conspiring against him.
What happened to Jaclyn?
The police came to Brian’s house to look for evidence. He was being investigated not only in the Crawford case, but also in the serial killer case. Brian had been renting the farm and, according to anonymous sources, had been bringing victims there. So was he the killer? The police soon found the severed head of one of the victims in his guest room. He was immediately arrested, and neither Luke nor Jaclyn could believe that it had been Brian all along. Brian begged them to believe in his innocence, and he explained that he would have to be pretty crazy to keep the victim’s head in his house after knowing what trouble he was in. But no one was willing to believe him. Brian asked the Captain to give him three hours to solve the mystery, and since he had been an exceptional detective, he was given one last chance to prove his innocence.
Brian went to the bar where Luke had learned about Redwater Farms. He questioned Tanya Nelson, the girl who started the rumor in the first place. Tanya explained that it was Jaclyn who had told her the secret. Jaclyn had apparently asked her to spread the rumor. Jaclyn was shocked; she exclaimed that she had never met the woman and she asked the police to search her apartment if necessary. Jaclyn knew she was in trouble when a mannequin was discovered in her apartment. She drew her gun and told everyone in the room to back off. She got in her car and tried to flee. Brian and Luke chased her car and she eventually had an accident that resulted in her death. After Jaclyn’s death, Brian realized he had to come clean about his past. He met Captain Howell and confessed that he had shot the Crawford teenager during the drug raid. He admitted that there was no excuse for his mistake that night, but it wasn’t intentional. He had kept quiet because he was afraid of losing the life he had built for himself. He also added that Luke was the one who took the bag of cash. According to Luke, if they had both been involved in some wrongdoing or another, they would have something to blame each other for. Brian chose to tell the truth, even though he didn’t have to since the case was closed due to lack of evidence. But he couldn’t live with his conscience. Captain Howell instructed his officers to hunt down Detective Luke Carson.
Who was the serial killer?
When Brian came home that night, he was knocked out by an intruder. When he woke up, he realized it was Luke who had kidnapped him. Luke explained that he had tried his best to frame Jaclyn for the murders and that it had benefited him to some extent. Jaclyn was dead and he assumed he had gotten away with the murders. But now that Brian had confessed to the Crawford case, the police were looking for him. He feared that all of his secrets would be exposed and the world would learn that he was the serial killer all along. He was disappointed in Brian and planned to kill him before he was caught.
Luke’s obsession with mannequins was rooted in his father’s profession – he was a fashion designer. Luke despised his father for cheating on his mother. His hatred for his father grew even worse after his mother committed suicide. Luke wanted his father to experience the pain he had caused his family. He killed his father by slitting his throat – it was his way of separating his sick mind from his filthy body. Brian recognised Luke after he described how he killed his father. He was Charlie Hedges, son of Robert Hedges – he was suspected of killing his father and had been on the run for far too long. He began killing anyone who dared to cheat on his family just for pleasure. He was the jury and the punisher. He didn’t care about understanding the complexity of the situation – he just wanted to satisfy the little boy that lived inside him. He had absolved himself of his guilt because he thought he was bringing justice by punishing the sinners. Luke targeted the churchgoers because he thought they were a bunch of hypocrites. Brian realized that Jaclyn had been innocent all along. Luke, aka Charlie, paid Tanya to lie about Jaclyn and that ultimately led to her death.
In Crescent City‘s end, Luke attacked Brian and dragged him through the backyard. He was about to slit Brian’s throat, but Brian managed to overpower Charlie and choke him to death. Brian woke up in the hospital; he was glad that his family was by his side. He apologized to his wife for not being a good husband, and he hoped that she would give him another chance. Elena was a little hesitant, given the rough patch they had been through, but the ending suggests that she will give their marriage another chance. Captain Howell met Brian in the hospital and gave him his assignment. Howell wanted him to go back to the police force. He had proven himself to be an honest and dedicated cop, although he had made a terrible mistake once. Howell decided to let it go, knowing that Brian never had the wrong intentions. Was it the right thing to do? Did the teenager deserve to die for being involved in a drug deal? Can one’s good deed make up for a mistake that cost a stranger his life? Well, that remains up for debate.
