Spenser Confidential has finally hit Netflix and it comes with all of the action you might expect from a Mark Wahlberg, Winston Duke, Iliza Shlesinger, and Post Malone starrer. The new movie also has an ending that absolutely sets up Peter Berg’s movie for a sequel, which is fascinating given the main story wraps up tidily during the movie's 111 minute runtime.
In fact, a sequel to Spenser Confidential would be unlikely to feature the same big baddies and the setup of the ending should lead to a totally different storyline next time around, although our heroes would probably be the same. So here’s what happens and how Netflix sets up for Spenser Confidential 2 at the end of its newest original movie.
We’re obviously about to get into some major spoilers regarding the ending of the Mark Wahlberg movie, so if you haven’t binge-watched it yet, now would be a good time to hop out.
What Happens At The End Of Spenser Confidential
Basically, the entire premise of Spenser Confidential revolves around Mark Wahlberg’s Spenser not being able to let anything go and often getting his butt kicked because of it. We see him in jail at the beginning of the movie for having beat up his superior after his superior beat up his own wife. He gets out of jail and said superior gets murdered shortly after his release. A separate incident involving a second dead police officer spurs Spenser's involvement, as he wants to help out the cop's widow.
Instead of just butting out, our buddy Spenser gets in deeper. He uses his police skills and instincts to follow a set of clues leading to corrupt cops, drugs and a lucrative real estate deal. Partway through the movie we even learn Spenser’s former partner Driscoll (Bokeem Woodbine) is also involved.
Eventually Spenser and his newfound boxing pal Hawk (Winston Duke) make some headway with their side investigation into the cop killings. They figure out how to rip off a drug deal from under Driscoll’s nose, but Driscoll has his own plans and ends up kidnapping Spenser’s mentor Henry, played by Alan Arkin.
The end result is that Spenser borrows Black Betty, a semi he’s basically wanted to drive throughout the entire movie, and uses it as a battering ram. The good guys win and the bad guys go down. Spenser ends up arresting Driscoll and the feds finally get involved. It all wraps up pretty tidily, but it looks like Spenser and Hawk aren’t done being heroes.
How Then Does The Mark Wahlberg Movie Set Up For A Sequel?
Two key things happen after the main events in Spenser Confidential. The first is that Iliza Schlesinger’s character, Cissy, officially makes up with Spenser after flirting with the idea (and one notable sex-in-a-bathroom scene) through basically the entire movie’s runtime. The second is that she asks Spenser to take her for a lobster.
The whole gang – Hawk and Henry included all go to get a lobster (or lobstah really). While eating and enjoying themselves now the threat has abated, Spenser sees a news report.
In it, a firefighter in his hometown Boston-area community is accused of an arson crime at a church he says he didn’t do. Spenser mentions he went to high school with the fire chief, while Henry tries to get the restaurant to change the channel, surmising what Spenser is thinking. But Spenser is tuned in and you can already tell he already wants to get involved.
Bring on a sequel.
Good News: Mark Wahlberg And More Should Be Back If Spenser Confidential 2 Is Greenlighted
Mark Wahlberg plays Spenser in Spenser Confidential, so if a sequel were to be greenlighted by Netflix he would definitely be the key ingredient to bring back. However, the movie does a good job of giving major character moments to Hawk, Henry and even Cissy. All of them are alive and kicking at the end of the movie. Even Post Malone's character technically doesn't die during the film's runtime and bad guy Discoll is arrested and sent to jail, so the movie leaves a lot of people who could theoretically play a role or pop up for a cameo if a sequel were to happen and they had some germane info related to the case, of course.
One other character who will probably get her moment to shine in Spenser Confidential 2 is Pearl. Pearl is Spenser’s “girl” at the beginning of the movie and we later learn she’s his longtime dog pal. Please don’t confuse this with the dog Mark Wahlberg has talked about dinging him “up pretty good” during the making of the movie.
That dog is in a scene in which Mark Wahlberg trespasses onto another person’s property while trying to track down a yellow car. Spenser's dog, on the other hand, is tiny, docile and adorable. It should also be noted this movie has a ton of dogs, as Cissy owns her own dog-sitting agency. Most of them are very cute during their limited time onscreen.
The point is, if you like the key ingredients or the main team in Netflix’s Spenser Confidential, if a sequel comes, it's highly probable we’ll get more of those same team-ups.
Ultimately, Netflix has not said a sequel is coming yet, which is pretty par for the course for the streaming service as it figures out how many people are interested and tune in over a given movie or TV series' first few weeks. However, the parties involved, including Mark Wahlberg, have all said they are interested, with producer Neal Moritz specifically telling the LA Times:
We’ve had a lot of discussions about where future installments can go. We’d all love to do it because we love the characters and the relationships. My favorite genre as a moviegoer is buddy-cop action-comedy movies. I’d love to see how those characters can grow.
Plus, that final scene in the movie is about the most blatant bid to kickoff a franchise that I’ve ever seen. If people are really streaming the new movie, I’d expect we hear more about another project in the coming months.
In the meantime, what do you think? Did you enjoy Spenser Confidential enough for another round?
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