Upamanyu Biswas
The ending of Netflix’s ‘Last Bullet’ amps up the ante as Lino and Areski gear up for a showdown that has been on the cards since the conclusion of the trilogy’s first movie. After getting caught up in the machinations of Alexander Resz, the corrupt police chief pulling the strings on the nefarious drug-running operation, Lino must hunker down for his last mission, which might determine the fate of his revenge mission against Charas’ killer. However, things get complicated when he is caught in a game of bluffs, double-crosses, and deception from every angle. It pushes him to the extreme as he relies on his trusted partner, Julia, to help him achieve his dream without compromising his ideals. Still, it requires an intervention from an unexpected source to resolve the climactic standoff in the final moments, prompting various questions. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Last Bullet Plot Synopsis
At the end of ‘Lost Bullet 2,’ a badly injured Lino was taken in by the police. Meanwhile, Areski rode into a scrapyard to collect Charas’ keychain from the wrecked Renault car. In ‘Last Bullet,’ we open with a more elaborate look into Areski’s life since his escape at the end of the first movie. He is shown to be living in Germany, where he works as a bulldozer driver under a false identity. While still moonlighting as an enforcer in Alexander Resz’s operation, he realizes that he is being hunted down by Resz because Marco died, making him a potential loose end. He narrowly survives the assassination attempt but is confronted at his home by more men. They kill his innocent girlfriend, Mathilde, who has no idea about Areski’s past. Subsequently, we catch up with the ending scene from the second film, where he arrives at the scrapyard to collect Charas’ keychain.
After returning to France, Areski begins consolidating his position by learning more about how things have changed since his arrest years ago. He tries to bridge the gap with his former wife, Stella. However, the meeting between them is short-lived as Lino starts suspecting that his mortal enemy is back in town. In the movie’s opening, we see Lino come face-to-face with Alexander Resz, the influential figure within the police force who is alleged to be the sponsor behind Areski’s past actions and corruption within the ranks. He arranges a special handoff with the Spanish police, who provide him with Lino, the protagonist, while they receive Alvaro in exchange. Although Lino is spared in the aftermath, the same is not true for Alvaro, who is killed by Resz’s trusted henchman, Yuri.
For much of the narrative, Lino focuses all his efforts on capturing Areski. However, sensing the hostility from Lino and others, Areski decides to give himself up to the cops, but only via Julia and Moss. They arrange to use him as a key witness in their fight to take down Alexander Resz, who remains a blot on the authorities. Lino is kept out of the loop because of his personal ties to the case and his desperate need to ensure Areski is punished for killing Charas. The plot gets even more complicated as we learn that Moss is no longer working on the good side and wants to help Resz with his goals. She is in cahoots with him because of self-centered goals and promises pertaining to her promotion within the ranks if Resz is appointed the Chief of the Narcotics department.
Last Bullet Ending: Who Takes Down Resz? Why?
With Areski serving as an important bargaining chip, the end of ‘Last Bullet’ revolves around all the different forces and factions trying their best to capture him for their own agendas. Julia and Lino want to keep him alive because they hope to take down Resz’s dirty operation, while the opposite is true for the latter. To that end, the final moments gear up for an inevitable clash between the two sides, which is seemingly won by Lino. However, due to Moss’ betrayal, Julia and Lino soon realize that they have been played by their senior officer, who is only looking to serve herself. Resz ends up rounding them up at the airstrip, where they are supposed to meet their German contacts. Subsequently, he orders to have them killed. However, a big plot twist occurs when Resz’s most lethal henchman, Yuri, shows his face at the airstrip and kills his master.
The reason Yuri murders Resz and the rest of the gang is that they betrayed him in the first place. Earlier in the narrative, he is one of the first people to warn Resz about Areski escaping the assassination attempt on his life in Germany. However, when he relays his doubts to Resz, the latter disregards his worries and states that he is blowing things out of proportion. Later, Resz is forced to admit he was wrong when Yuri’s words turn out to be true. Although Yuri accepts Resz’s apology, the latter seems worried about his henchman harboring feelings of ill will towards him. After the debacle with Areski in the past, Resz is worried that a similar incident might repeat within his organization if he does not navigate things properly. Thus, he orders Yuri to be killed, fearing that he might be the next Areski.
Unbeknownst to Resz, Yuri survives the attempt on his life and ends up killing his aggressors. Subsequently, he tracks down Resz to the airstrip, where he guns down the man to complete his vengeance. It proves to be a fortuitous outcome because Lino and Julia are in dire straits before Yuri arrives on the scene. Because of the latter’s intervention, they manage to escape with their lives and are also rid of the dangerous machinations of Resz forever. After taking down his former master, Yuri leaves the airstrip in his car. He tracks down Cole, Resz’s trusted advisor, to the headquarters, where he sees the man desperately trying to get his hands on the money in the safe before fleeing. However, Yuri kills him as well and leaves after taking the bags of cash with him. Thus, he mops up any loose ends and even escapes with a reward for his actions.
What Happens to Areski? Is Moss Arrested?
Following Resz’s death, Areski flees from the airstrip by getting in the car and driving away. Despite seeing his rival escaping, Lino takes the time to check up on Julia, who Resz shot. After realizing that she is safe, he gets in his car and chases down Areski. Using his car’s various capabilities, he stops Areski’s escape and brings him back to the police station. Subsequently, he is arrested and taken in for questioning. Moss tries to feign her innocence in the matter, but it is all for naught. With Areski in custody, her involvement in the whole affair will surely come to light, leaving her career and reputation in jeopardy. In one of the final scenes, we see Stella and her child walk through the halls of the precinct while Areski sits in the interrogation room. He desperately tries to talk to them while they pay him no attention and leave.
The fates of both Areski and Moss are likely set in stone, especially for the former. Because Areski killed Charas, his reputation as a cop-killer has made him one of the most hated individuals within the ranks for a while. Therefore, there is very little chance he will get any type of amnesty from prosecutors when they draft his case. Additionally, with Resz dead, he has no bargaining power in the upcoming trial as it is his only chance at getting a favorable deal like Marco. It is also worth noting that he brought a bad rep to the entire department because he was a dirty police officer. His corruption and involvement in a large-scale drug-running operation are going to leave him with a tough case to battle. While not as severe, the same is true for Moss, who became Resz’s lackey near the movie’s end.
Despite trying her best to take down Resz from the beginning, Moss ends up becoming the very thing she hates at the end of ‘Last Bullet.’ Realizing that she has no way to defeat Resz in a battle, she joins him instead, hoping that he can promote her within the ranks once he is elected as the next Chief of the Narcotics department. It is an entirely self-serving goal that puts Lino and Julia in grave danger. In the final showdown, the duo believes that Moss is on their side as they embark on their quest to capture Areski. However, once Moss’ betrayal comes to light, they both learn that Moss is a lost cause and has given up on her moral scruples by joining hands with the enemy. Therefore, her end is likely to be as painful as Areski’s once the truth of the matter is investigated and the court hearings begin.
Do Lino and Julia End Up Together? Do They Bring Sarah Into the Team?
After taking down Resz, Moss, and Areski, the movie ends with Lino and Julia heading back to Sarah’s garage, where they finally have a moment of peace. The duo is happy that after surviving some massive struggles, they have both managed to avenge Charas’ death, which was their primary goal in the first movie. In the meantime, they also begin to develop a romantic bond, exemplified when she kisses him during the airstrip scene. Across the three movies, they go through several ups and downs in their relationship, showcasing how Charas’ murder throws everything into chaos. In particular, Lino becomes obsessed with finding the responsible party and bringing them to justice. As a result, he often becomes distant from Julia. However, at the end of ‘Last Bullet,’ Lino and Julia are finally free to push their relationship further.
While their love story may be in the works, the main duo also find a new person to include in their team – Sarah. Her garage and her skills as a mechanic prove to be invaluable in ‘Last Bullet,’ especially as Lino gears up for his confrontation with Resz’s forces and Areski. He builds a brand new car from scratch, which embodies his own resilient and robust personality. It is instrumental in capturing Areski in the final car chase and also lasting through some brutal fights. To that end, both Lino and Julia start to see the value in including Sarah in their team and using her abilities to expand their own missions in the future. It provides her with something to do in the future and also makes the main team a triumvirate instead of just them working as a couple.
Read More: Where Was Last Bullet Filmed? Shooting Locations of the Netflix Movie
