Upamanyu Biswas
‘Ferry 2’ continues the story of its titular protagonist after the events of the first film in the series and its subsequent follow-up in ‘Undercover.’ Although Ferry Bouman’s life and career have taken a new turn since the end of the series, the protagonist has to navigate the challenges of retirement when a family member shows up at his doorstep in Spain seeking help. As he is dragged back to his crime-infested past, Ferry begins wondering whether he is better off outside the ring. Matters get especially complicated as a ruthless drug lord gets involved in the action, making his life difficult at every turn. However, by the end, the protagonist confronts his newfound responsibility of saving those close to him, even if it goes against his self-preservation instincts! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Ferry 2 Plot Synopsis
After the ups and downs of ‘Undercover,’ Ferry Bouman leaves his life as a gangster far in his past. Instead, ‘Ferry 2’ starts with the titular protagonist idling away his retirement on the glorious sun-baked beaches of Benidorm, Spain. A local woman tasks Ferry with Santa Claus duties on Christmas, a job he goes about in his characteristic gauche manner. However, his mini-vacation is brought to a close when he returns to his trailer to find Jezebel, the granddaughter of his sister Claudia, waiting for him with her new boyfriend, Jeremy. Jezebel informs Ferry that she needs his help, which particularly involves procuring fifty thousand euros for her. As Ferry questions her some more, he learns that she has fallen into the same drug business as him and owes a merciless drug pin, Lex van Dun, the money.
Although disappointed in her actions, Ferry reluctantly joins her after he blows his Santa gig rather spectacularly in front of a watching crowd. Subsequently, he, Jezebel, and Jeremy meet up with Lex at his warehouse. Ferry negotiates a new deal with Lex, where he promises to deliver five hundred thousand pills in exchange for Lex refurbishing them with double the payment, also allowing Jezebel and Jeremy to walk away. During the meeting, Ferry also learns that his old nemesis, Dennis, is working for Lex. Dennis was the one who ratted out Ferry to the police, which ultimately led to his arrest and his long prison stint. While Ferry distrusts Dennis, Jezebel holds a contrasting opinion of him because he helped raise her when Ferry was imprisoned, and she had no caregivers.
In the meeting’s aftermath, Ferry meets up with Jezebel and Jeremy’s helpers, Steve and Dino, at Camping Zonnedauw. The five end up on a road trip to find a perfect location where they can cook the pills required by Lex, especially as the police have seized their labs. They eventually find the perfect spot on an anchored boat near the docks. Although they get down to business swiftly, Ferry remains suspicious of Dennis and follows him after a Christmas party one night. There, he learns that Lex has hired an assassin named Xia to kill Ferry, Jezebel, and all those involved with them. It is also revealed that Dennis is in on the plan, albeit an observer rather than an active participant. Ferry finds his opportunity and renegotiates the deal with Xia, promising her more money to kill Lex instead, which she surprisingly accepts.
Why Does Jezebel Stab Dennis? Does She Learn the Truth About Her Father’s Murder?
At the end of ‘Ferry 2,’ Ferry and Jezebel find themselves in a tight corner as Lex starts showing his true colors. After a mishap at their boat lab derails the pill production, Ferry and Jezebel are only able to hand over four hundred thousand pills to Lex. Subsequently, the drugpin orders Ferry, Jezebel, and Dennis to cook the rest of the bunch in the lab seized by the police, threatening to kill Jezebel’s boyfriend otherwise. The three embark on a desperate mission to save each other’s skin and Jeremy’s, especially since there are no other options remaining. As such, they infiltrate the police station with minor difficulties, immediately starting the production process using the stolen lab equipment inside the department.
During the scene, Dennis starts a dialogue with Jezebel, discussing his reasons for working for Lex. He tries justifying himself, especially as he knows how Jezebel sees him as a trusting figure. However, in an earlier scene, it is implied that Ferry told Jezebel about how Dennis was complicit in the assassination plan concocted by Lex to kill her. Thus, she already sees him as a tarnished figure. After hearing him talk for a while, she decides to stab him, possibly categorizing him as a coward who is constantly led by other people’s actions and has no morality of his own. However, while Dennis lies on the floor fatally wounded, he reveals the truth about how Ferry killed Jezebel’s father. In fact, the protagonist had killed him years ago, fearing that he was a mole divulging information to others.
Jezebel is devastated after learning the truth but watches on anyway as Ferry finishes off Dennis. She tells Ferry not to follow her anymore and leaves the station on her own. Before she does, she breaks down crying while a group of cops rush towards the lab room. The betrayal of her granduncle evidently shakes her to her core and leaves her with even more doubts about the people in her life and their reliability in the long run.
How Does Ferry Save Jezebel? Does He Kill Lex?
Following the events at the police station, a desperate Ferry rushes to save his grandniece from the hands of Lex van Dun. Knowing that the drugpin might have some other murderous scheme in his head, he tries contacting Xia, hoping that she can kill Lex before Jezebel is put in danger. However, Lex becomes aware of Xia’s double-crossing and has his men kill her. Jezebel manages to get Jeremy free from his captors, and the pair dash for escape. However, Lex follows them in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, Ferry arrives and does his part to take down some of Lex’s other henchmen, picking up a fatal injury in the process. The wound derails him further, but he showcases his resolve to save Jezebel by drawing Lex’s attention while she and Jeremy can slip away.
The moment Jezebel and her boyfriend scoot away to safety, Ferry engages Lex in a brief conversation. The latter is ecstatic at having earned the opportunity to kill the infamous Ferry Bouman. But while he takes some more time to bask in his achievement, he is distracted by Jezebel and Jeremy fleeing. In that split second, Ferry manages to shoot him dead. The protagonist sinks to his knees in relief and exhaustion from his injury. Jezebel watches him from a distance with a pained expression on her face but runs away after Jeremy pulls at her hand. While his life was hardly a noble one, Ferry showcases his noble and honorable spirit through his final act, something that always kept him grounded even in his worst moments.
Earlier, Ferry had realized that he bungled his relationship with Jezebel by withholding the truth about her father’s death. Yet, he still deeply cared for the girl. Additionally, Ferry had been imprisoned while Jezebel grew up on her own, making him feel a great deal of regret and guilt for not being there when she needed him. Thus, a lot of his hard-edged attitude in front of her was often disingenuous ploys to make it seem as if he is selfish and uncaring towards others. In reality, he is prone to emotional moments and keeps them hidden under a tough exterior. Therefore, when Jezebel tells him to leave her alone at the station, the protagonist does the opposite and rushes to her aid no matter the cost. It is a direct consequence of his previous failings, which taught him that family and love are more vital than self-interests.
Does Ferry Die? Who Does He See in His Final Moments?
In the film’s final moments, a dying Ferry drags himself to a bench nearby when he sits down for his final rest. The camera locks into his struggling face while a trailer door opens in the distance, and Danielle walks towards him. His long-lost wife’s presence is of deep comfort to him as Ferry rests his head on her shoulder, and the two sit in silence side-by-side. However, the scene then cuts to an angle behind Ferry, where it becomes evident that there is no one sitting next to Ferry and that his wife’s presence is a final vision as he takes his last breath. Ferry passes away on the bench, but the ending scene with his wife puts a somber and poignant mood over the whole incident, crystallizing how important Danielle was in the protagonist’s life and how much he regretted his decisions, which led to her leaving him.
Throughout the movie, it is clear that a lifetime of mistakes, regrets, and guilt has left Ferry with a different view of his criminal lifestyle and how much it has cost him in the long run. He even tries to warn Jezebel at certain points about the pitfalls of “Bouman blood” and how she, too, can fall prey to the same demons as him if she does not leave the life behind sooner rather than later. His experiences have made him a lot wiser and more jaded about pursuing one’s self-interests over family. His wife’s loss was the biggest regret of his life and career, and as such, it is poetic that she returns to keep him company in an ethereal form in his last moments.
A post-credit scene at the end addresses whether Jezebel listened to Ferry’s advice about walking away from her drug operation. In a short scene, Jezebel hands over a fresh batch of drugs to a client and walks away with money, showcasing that she is still very much attached to her criminal lifestyle. With Lex dead and buried, it is possible that Jezebel can slowly climb the ranks of the underworld and make a name for herself, rivaling that of Ferry. However, in the process, the same demons and issues might come to haunt her as they did with him. It will be interesting to see if she carries on his legacy in a future sequel or whether she can keep her promise of getting enough money out of the operation and fleeing at the right time, which is easier said than done.
Read More: Where Was Ferry Filmed?
