I think some people, including myself, have a problem with shitty, abusive people being portrayed as ultimately benign or good regardless of the people they step on or destroy.
He never stops being evil though.
J.K. Simmons is the bad guy in the movie. The movie is a tragedy. The main character has what seems like a happy ending to him but in reality he has lost his soul, and the devil has taken it.
At least, that’s how I see it.
Yeah. You root for Teller’s character in the final scene in the same way you root for the protagonist in a gangster film to make it out of the shootout alive. He “beats” the bad guy, but Simmons has it worked out so that he wins no matter what. It’s not a morally satisfying resolution but many films aren’t. Just because the bad guy made it out on top doesn’t mean the movie is endorsing his methods. He’s still the bad guy. Sometimes they win.