Get Hard Ending Explained: How Do James and Darnell Stop Martin?

At the end of the comedy-drama ‘Get Hard,’ James King desperately tries to prove his innocence and avoid his ten-year incarceration. Convinced that James isn’t guilty, Darnell goes all out to help him crack this case and find out who the real culprit behind the embezzlement and fraud case is. As the two men team up, a persistent enforcer makes a nuisance of himself and tries to intervene at every stage in their plan. However, the duo who call themselves “Mayo and Chocolat” cook up their own plan, determined to have the final say in matters before their enemies get wind of their comical missteps, which seem to work out in their favor time and again. Yet, by the end, their fate hangs in the balance as a final showdown kicks into gear that could spell the future for James. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Get Hard Plot Synopsis

‘Get Hard’ begins with the luxurious life of James King, a billionaire stockbroker enjoying his life at his big house with his fiancée Alissa. She happens to be the daughter of his boss, Martin. She is not satisfied with their palatial mansion and wants an even bigger one. In the meantime, Darnell is a struggling middle-class man who owns a car wash named Hollywood Luxury Bubbles. He struggles to get his employees to listen to him, even though he aspires to provide a safer and more comfortable life for his wife and daughter, which seems unlikely with the state of his business. Although Darnell and James may seem on opposite sides of the spectrum on a lifestyle basis, things quickly flip around when the FBI arrests the latter for embezzlement and fraud at a party. Subsequently, he is sentenced to ten years in San Quentin Maximum Security Prison following a court trial.

With one month to get his affairs in order before the incarceration, a fearful James approaches Darnell, offering him money for some much-needed help with surviving prison. Even though the two already have a working relationship because James is a frequent customer at Hollywood Luxury Bubbles, the stockbroker believes that Darnell has already been incarcerated before because of racial bias. Thus, he asks Darnell if he could provide him with the necessary skills to survive his long prison term. What follows is the hilarious partnership between two men who could not be more different than each other. Darnell is just a regular middle-class family man trying to earn money to get his daughter a better school and his family a new home. James, on the other hand, is doing all he can to ensure his safety in prison by ‘getting hard.’

Though Darnell has never seen prison life, he attempts to train James in skills such as fighting, attitude, and trash talk to survive at San Quentin. Darnell even introduces James to his cousin Russell, the leader of a local gang called Crenshaw Kings, to provide him protection, should he need it in San Quentin. For mysterious reasons, Martin, James’ boss, is worried about James working with Darnell and thinks he should have taken a plea deal instead of going to trial. He orders his associate Gayle to keep watch on them. As James and Darnell try to move forward with their unconventional and often absurd training, they form an unlikely bond, overcoming racial and class barriers. Darnell is convinced that James isn’t guilty, and the two men try to work out ways to save James from prison by uncovering who framed James for embezzlement and fraud by falsifying records.

Get Hard Ending: How Do James and Darnell Defeat Martin?

James and Darnell figure out that everything at Wealthrop Fund Management, the Hedge Fund, leads to Martin. Martin is at the center of it all, given that all transactions and records must go through him. This makes him the only individual who could’ve falsified James’ records to frame him for the embezzlement and fraud that Martin himself is guilty of. James deduces that all the original evidence proving his innocence will be stored in Martin’s ancient computer. James and Darnell break into Wealthrop Fund Management to steal the computer; they manage to do so but are thwarted by Gayle, Martin’s henchman. Gayle takes the computer from the duo and warns them of the consequences if they further intervene in Martin’s business.

The encounter with Gayle is also pivotal for another reason. It is the moment where James learns that Darnell has never been imprisoned, a fact he learns from Gayle’s mouth. This discovery of Darnell’s lies deflates James, who had trusted Darnell unquestioningly until that point. Believing that nothing can save him now, James makes himself a part of the Crenshaw Kings, a local gang with ties to the prison introduced to him by Darnell. Russell, Darnell’s cousin and the leader of the gang, agrees to help James in prison, impressed by James’s ability to create wealth for them. However, before James can become a real gangster and start killing people, Darnell intervenes and pulls him out of the gang. He tells James he can trace where Martin has taken the computer by calculating the distance and following travel routines.

With Darnell’s help, James deduces that Martin has taken the computer to his yacht, which he intends to use to escape to a private island without any extradition laws. The duo gets on the boat, which is named The Sea Note, as stealthily as possible. However, the cover of shadows does not last long as they are both caught by Martin’s security hauling the computer. With no other way out, James turns on his ‘Capoeira’ mode, using a mixture of skill and unorthodox moves to fight the goons inside the boat while Darnell protects the computer from harm. Once the fighting is over, Martin intervenes and tries to reason with James. He tells him that he framed James only because another company tanked, and there was no other option but to frame James to get the money, which he regrets.

When Martin’s words don’t have an effect, Alissa tries to seduce James and stop him from exposing the truth that her father is the culprit behind the case of fraud. Martin even offers James a safe sanctuary on his private island of Cape Verde. However, James remains unconvinced and tries to leave the boat with Darnell and the evidence. Just as the two are about to board the rescue boat, Gayle shoots the boat and deflates it, leaving them stuck. Martin orders Gayle to shoot the two once they are safe, but to their surprise, they find the US Marshall Service descending upon them. James reveals that he had his tracking bracelet with him, which led the Marshals to the ship. Just in the nick of time, James and Darnell are saved. James hands over the computer evidence to the FBI, which proves that he is not the bad guy, but Martin is. This puts an end to Martin’s plan, proving him guilty once and for all.

Does James Survive Prison? What Happens to Martin?

After stopping Martin’s escape, James acquires the computer containing the evidence and hands it over to the FBI. This leads to James’ innocence being proven. Martin is convicted based on the recovered evidence. Though James avoids the ten-year incarceration, he gets a six-month prison sentence for carrying an unlicensed gun. However, James is ready to survive prison as he has mastered everything Darnell taught him during their training. He also helps the FBI find and return Martin’s stolen assets. In return, the FBI unfreezes all of James’ accounts, and he gets his money back. It is revealed in the end that James has very successfully survived prison. He is seen outside the prison after his short term as a free man, where Darnell picks him up.

Martin, on the other hand, faces a very different scenario. He is revealed to be the actual culprit behind the embezzlement and fraud case. The evidence on the old computer proves this. He is arrested for fraud, tampering with evidence, and obstruction of justice, all of which are serious crimes. He is sent to San Quentin prison along with his henchman, Gayle. At San Quentin, Martin and Gayle appear to be unprepared for the harsh reality of the violent jail and are most likely to be assaulted or worse. Thus, Martin is left to repent for his mistakes and pay the price for his betrayal of James’ trust.

What is Next For Darnell and James?

Darnell and James’ relationship lies at the heart of ‘Get Hard,’ often predicated by numerous gags, hilarious banter, and offensive jokes that are far more biting than they are endearing. However, despite all their seeming differences as individuals, the duo manage to become inseparable friends and brothers by the end of the movie. We see this particularly after James is released from prison, where Darnell picks him up, highlighting the camaraderie between the duo. Following a six-month stint in the “joint,” James thanks Darnell for ‘getting him hard’ for prison and helping him survive. All the weeks of pain, humiliation, and struggle finally pay off as Darnell’s fake tricks to survive prison somehow have a monumental effect on James’ life.

While James may owe a debt to Darnell for all the training imparted to him, the same is applicable to the latter, who becomes wealthier because of the money invested in him by James. This investment from James enables Darnell to grow his company, get a new building, and relaunch the car wash with a grand opening. As a result, Darnell becomes a happy family man and a successful business owner. Therefore, it makes sense why Darnell is so pleased to see James walking out of prison, even going so far as to hug him. During the final car ride home, they go back to their usual rapport, talking as if they are friends who have been separated for a long time. This suggests that their companionship may stretch far beyond the events of the film, even potentially setting the stage for more misadventures.