Squad 36 Ending, Explained: Who is the Killer?

Netflix’s French crime drama film ‘Squad 36’ follows the story of a scorned cop who tries to uncover a menacing conspiracy thrumming within the police department. After a bad move gets Antoine demoted and transferred out of his old squad, it results in some big changes around the department. A few months later, two of Antoine’s friends from his old squad end up dead, with another missing. As a result, he can’t help but snoop around the case, much to the chagrin of his superiors. Consequently, superior forces—and outside threats—try to knock the officer off the trail before he discovers the truth about the damning feud that turned Squad 36’s fates upside down. Originally titled Bastion 36, this Olivier Marchal directorial offers a thrilling mystery that unravels in unexpected ways. SPOILERS AHEAD!

Squad 36 Plot Synopsis

Antoine Cerda is an officer in the Paris Bastion 36 who works with his comrades like a well-oiled machine. However, he also participates in underground fighting rings to deal with his own demons. One night, a particularly vengeful opponent ends up following the cop out of the ring and attacks him on the street with his friends. Although Antoine easily fights off these men, the brutality of the public altercation—paired with the previous reckless actions of his squad—invites the ire of the higher-ups. Consequently, as a reprimand, he ends up getting demoted to a street cop and transferred to a less glamorous part of town. Naturally, he doesn’t take well to the demotion and ends up spiraling down self-destructive roads.

Six months later, Antoine has essentially cut off all contact with his old squad—even Hanna, his old girlfriend—as he continues to serve with his new unit. However, his past eventually knocks on his door again as one of his ex-squadmates, Vinny, leaves him a voicemail in distress, about to confess to a grave mistake. Yet, before he can reveal the truth, a hitman shoots him dead in his car. As news of Vinny’s death breaks out, another officer from the squad, Richard, goes missing. His wife, Sophia, comes to Antoine for help, catching him up on the myriad of ways the entire squad had devolved out of control after his transfer.

As it turns out, Richard had checked himself into a psychiatric clinic due to severe paranoia. Nonetheless, now, in light of Vinny’s death, he seems to have gone missing from the establishment. When Antoine arrives at the clinic to investigate, he meets Victor, an older man who is Richard’s friend. He reveals that the missing cop had paranoid beliefs that an international drug kingpin was targeting his squad. He also shares an emergency phone number that the other man left behind. Thus, Antoine reaches out to a disgruntled Hanna to find out who the person behind the number is.

This brings Antoine to Kristina, a sex worker who was involved with Richard. Once Richard calls her again for a meet-up, Antoine is able almost to track him down. Nonetheless, the meeting quickly goes south as a masked figure shows up and attacks the duo, killing Kristina. The incident helps authorities establish that the same person has been behind the recent killings and that they’re using a gun registered under Richard’s name. It also leads to Antoine’s suspension due to his inability to follow orders and stay out of the investigation. Meanwhile, the same assailant also gets to Hanna—putting her in the hospital when she inches closer to uncovering the truth. Yet, before Antoine can give up on his vengeful path, one of his bosses approaches him and shares a startling truth about Sami and his squad.

Squad 36 Ending: Who Killed Vinny and the Others? Why?

The string of deaths that the mysterious killer leaves in their wake sits at the center of the conspiracy that is plaguing Squad 36 and its members. Shortly after Antoine’s transfer, his squad began falling apart. Hanna left the team to join the Narcotics department, while Sami—their leader—grew more and more secretive. As it turns out, the crew was recruited into a covert special forces team, bound to do the higher-ups’ bidding in secret. One of their consistent missions includes tracking Karim Mahmoudi, a dangerous drug kingpin whom the department has been after for a long time. However, Antoine’s ex-boss reveals that Sami and his team were under suspicion of colluding with the drug dealer on the orders of their bosses.

Meanwhile, Richard—who has been hopping from safehouse to safehouse under Sami’s instruction—grows more and more agitated. Similar to Vinny, he has also grown paranoid enough about a mysterious job they pulled, and he is considering confession to shake Mahmoudi off his back. For the same reason, he eventually breaks free of Sami’s rules and returns home to Sophia. Nonetheless, it’s only a matter of time before the other man learns about the same. Therefore, he visits the cop to try to talk him out of his confessional desire. Once it becomes evident that his efforts are futile, Sami pulls out his gun and shoots Richard and his wife.

As such, the truth emerges that the squad leader has been behind the murders all along. Apparently, while Sami and his squad were in collusion with Mahmoudi, they also made one grave move against him. During a drug deal, the crew pulled off a two-million-dollar theft against Mahmoudi’s nephew, Ichem. However, as they are stealing the cash, Richard jumps the gun, which inevitably leads to Ichem’s death. Although the squad initially decides to sit on this secret, the pressure eventually gets to them. As each of them moves closer toward the idea of confession, Sami picks them off one by one to ensure the safety of his secret.

In turn, Sami painted Mahmoudi as the likely perpetrator, which further fueled the squad’s paranoia. Antoine discovers the squad’s involvement in Ichem’s murder after he follows Mahmoudi to a remote location where the criminal tortures information about Ichem’s death from his partner on the job, Tyson. Back at Richard’s house, Sami cleans his prints off the former’s gun—which he has been in possession of all this time—and stages the scene to look like a suicide murder. Thus, he effectively paints Richard as the killer. Nonetheless, as Mahmoudi discovers his involvement in Ichem’s death, a new threat looms over the cop’s fate.

What Happens to Richard’s Files? Where Did Mahmoudi’s Money Go?

Fortunately for Sami, Antoine—who is yet unaware of his ex-leader’s homicidal actions—warns him about Mahmoudi. Therefore, he is somewhat prepared to face the man as he returns home to his wife and kids. Simultaneously, Antoine also reaches out to his current partner, Titus, to help him confront the situation despite his suspension. During the altercation between Sami and Mahmoudi, the former reveals that he had only pulled off the heist job after instructions from his higher-ups, who wanted to ignite a turf war. Nonetheless, Mahmoudi has no interest in unraveling the corruption that lies at the center of the Paris police department.

As such, the confrontation inevitably leads to a firefight. Yet, much like Antione, the Paris police department’s Charles also manages to make it to the scene in the nick of time. He incapacitates Mahmoudi, killing him on the spot, while Antoine goes after Sami. Although he tries to ensure everyone walks out of the situation alive, the other man refuses to comply. For the same reason, Antoine has no reason but to kill Sami. Nonetheless, this doesn’t wrap up the conspiratorial web plaguing the police department. The cop knows that their superiors roped his former squad into every illegal mission. However, in the wake of their deaths, the department wants to suppress the truth and use Mahmoudi as the scapegoat by brandishing him as the killer.

The department is concerned with the PR scandal that will follow if the truth about Sami’s collaboration with and theft against Mahmoudi comes out. Furthermore, they want to keep the reality of his killing spree against his own crew a secret. To buy Antoine’s silence, they offer him promotions and accolades, establishing that official records will reflect he has been working on department orders this entire time. As such, they have effectively used him to do their dirty work while keeping their own corruption under wraps. Still, a beacon of hope emerges, driving the cop toward a more honest path.

As it turns out, while Richard was alive, he had kept records of every single official correspondence between his SI team and the department heads. In the aftermath, Victor receives these files at the clinic and shares them with Antoine. By chronicling the truth with facts and legitimate proof, Richard has essentially created a foolproof way of revealing the truth about the corruption in the Paris police department. Furthermore, it also hints at another menacing truth about the SI department. After Sami and the others pulled off the theft against Mahmoudi, the stolen money disappeared from the board game.

Although Sami tried to divide it among the squad, every member refused to hold onto the stolen money. This compelled the squad leader to spread rumors about Mahmoudi, which triggered everyone’s paranoia to begin with. Therefore, since none of the squad members have the money, and the department higher-ups sanctioned the mission, it’s likely that they’re still in possession of the money. This means one could potentially find a firm thread connecting the department to the entire operation. Once Antoine comes in possession of Richard’s files, he makes up his mind to fight for the truth despite the pushback he might face from Charles and the department. Nonetheless, the cop falls to his tragic death shortly after. Consequently, Charles is able to sneak the files away from the crime scene, safeguarding the corrupt department’s secrets once again.

Is Antoine Really Dead? Who Killed Him?

Antoine’s death arrives as a shock, dismantling the narrative from its axis. So far, the Paris department has been getting away with its corruption without any trouble, while its officers had to pay the price for their decisions. Since the department heads are in charge of the narrative, they simply cover up the truth about Sami and his squad’s state-sanctioned illegal dealings to avoid any public scandal. Therefore, Richard’s files pose the biggest threat to the department. Even so, Charles’ bosses remain confident that a dead officer’s word would hold little validity against them.

For the same reason, Antoine stands a chance to uncover the department’s lies by going public with the contents of Richard’s files. However, an unfortunate incident robs him of any such opportunity. In the aftermath, the cop drives to his underground fighting club to return the resources he had borrowed from the owner and his friend, Marcus. Yet, once he enters the area, it attracts the attention of the criminal whom he had brutally beaten six months ago. As it turns out, the guy is still vengeful about the incident. Therefore, just like he had attacked Antoine all those months ago, he targets the cop again—this time with a gun.

As such, Antoine dies at the hands of some low-level criminal with a bruised ego. Consequently, the truth about the conspiracy at the Paris police department dies with him. In turn, the department turns him into a hero and symbol of the police’s integrity. He’s showered with medals and promotions in his death, decorated as an officer of the same system he had wanted to take down. Meanwhile, his loved ones—including Hanna—remain unaware of the truth. The bleak ending highlights the gross power that corrupt government departments hold, allowing them to get away with their crimes. On the other hand, the people they abuse—prominently cops like Antoine and his squad—end up paying an unjust price and silenced in their deaths.