The Pickup ending explained: Here's why Russell lets Zoe escape

The Pickup dropped on Prime Video on August 6, 2025.

The heist action comedy is helmed by Tim Story and written by Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider. Eddie Murphy, John Fox, Story, John Davis, and Charisse Hewitt-Webster have produced it. Murphy has also starred in the film along with Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer.

The film's official synopsis, as per Letterboxd, reads:

"A routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when mismatched armored truck drivers Russell and Travis are ambushed by ruthless criminals led by savvy mastermind Zoe."

Let's take a deep dive into the film's ending and understand how the planned heist took place.

How does The Pickup end?

A still from The Pickup | Image via Prime Video

The Pickup revolves around Russell Pierce (Eddie Murphy) and Travis Stolly (Pete Davidson), who are drivers of armoured trucks. Russell is just a few days away from his retirement and has to work with Travis, a rookie driver. One day, they are doing a routine cash pickup. But they are attacked by criminals due to the mismatch and confusion regarding another truck.

Zoe (Keke Palmer) manages to stay away from the cop's clutches. But towards the end, the authorities tighten the noose around her, and Zoe's crew is caught. She confesses that the heist was planned for two years. There was a plane that took her to Bali right after the heist ended.

Despite knowing everything, Russell decides to let her go as he starts respecting Zoe as a person. He was also aware that she did not let Banner (Jack Kesy) and Miguel (Ismael Cruz Córdova) eliminate anyone.

Even though a heist and several murders took place, Russ and Travis managed to go away without any repercussions. It's possible because the two were not directly involved and were coerced into participating in the acts. We see that Travis's police training has continued, which wouldn't have been possible if they were facing legal actions.

Towards the end, Travis manages to contact Zoe, who has gone to Bali with all the money. It's hinted that he goes there, and the two finally have a meetup after a long time. This brings their love story to an interesting and happy closure.

Russell lets Zoe escape in The Pickup

As mentioned above, Russell realizes Zoe has her reasons to do what she is doing. Even though she is orchestrating a heist, she is doing it with a sense of dignity and honesty. This is something Russell starts respecting. He also knows that if it wasn't for her, Miguel or Banner might have killed him and Travis. Zoe also pays Russell back for his help by sending him some money.

Russell doesn't forgive Zoe for her actions, but he understands why she did what she did. This ending gives the film a layer of emotion and sentimentality that people rarely see in an Eddie Murphy film. It also showcases that people have shades of black and white, and no one is all good or bad.

The film is streaming on Prime Video. What are your thoughts about The Pickup's ending?