The Ending Of Colombiana Explained

Few leading ladies kick as much butt as Zoe Saldana. She's been a staple of numerous franchises for the better part of two decades now, with noteworthy roles like Uhura in the Star Trek reboot movies, Neytiri in Avatar, and Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, as Avatar and Avengers: Endgame go back and forth between being the highest-grossing film of all time, Saldana comes out on top no matter what because she has parts in both of them. 

Saldana may play supporting roles in all of those films, but she finally has a chance to take center stage with the 2011 action flick Colombiana. When Saldana's character, Cataleya Restrepo, isn't engaged in copious amounts of parkour throughout the film, she's hunting down the men who killed her parents when she was a child. In the years since, she's become a deadly assassin, and now, fate has aligned, allowing her to finally come to terms with her past. 

It perhaps shouldn't come as any surprise that the film ends with Cataleya killing the people who have haunted her throughout her existence, but it's not all over once the final bullet flies. It's worth looking into the ending of Colombiana to see what it signals and what it means for the future.

Cataleya's entire life is consumed with murder and vengeance. The only release she has is when she gets a moment to be alone with her lover, Danny (Michael Vartan). But the life she pretends to have with him is a lie. She won't even tell him her real name, going by "Jennifer" when they're together. He's really the only thing she has in terms of family, so when the authorities are on her tail, they naturally bring him in. The final scene of the movie shows a phone call between the two, allowing her to at long last reveal to him her real name. 

During their short exchange, she allows him to ask three questions, but he doesn't use them all. Instead, the last thing Danny tells her is, "I love you." He doesn't waste time trying to learn more of her secrets; it's obvious that's of little importance to him. He just wants to let her know that even with everything the two of them went through in the movie, he still loves her.

With that phone call, the ending of Colombiana turns out bittersweet. They both have their freedom, but it comes at the grave cost of them having to stay separated. Cataleya is a wanted woman, and in order for her and Danny to remain safe, they have to remain apart. However, the bird can always fly back through the window, and the possibility of seeing them reunite may still be in the cards.

Colombiana ends with Cataleya getting on a bus, away from her lover and the authorities. Presumably, she'll continue in the only line of work she's ever known, perhaps becoming a vigilante along the lines of what's seen in The Equalizer franchise to eliminate those that seek to cause others harm. It would be a good way to reduce the chances of more kids ending up like she did. We're a decade out from Colombiana's release, but when it comes to sequels, a good motto is, "Never say never."

Rumors have remained persistent over the years that Colombiana 2 could still come to fruition, and it seems like one very important piece of that puzzle is more than willing to make them come true. Back in 2017, when asked about the potential for a sequel, Zoe Saldana told Glamour, "That would be amazing. But you guys have to send a message to Luc Besson — he's the producer — that everyone is asking for a Colombiana 2 because I'd love to do it. It would be fun." Granted, a lot has changed in the last few years. Between her duties in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as filming a slew of sequels for Avatar, Saldana is in high demand these days. 

It's unclear if she'd have the time between all of that to film a follow-up to a movie that grossed just over $60 million when it first came out. However, seeing as how Saldana is an even bigger name these days, perhaps a sequel would make a ton more. As for now, Cataleya's future remains in the wind.