Marked Men Movie Ending Explained And Full Story: What Happens To Rule And Shaw?

Romance is one thing; rom-coms are quite another, and judging by what we see today, it seems modern filmmakers couldn’t craft a decent one if their meet-cute depended on it. Based on Jay Crownover’s 2012 novel “Rule,” Nick Cassavetes, best known for The Notebook, delivers Marked Men: Rule + Shaw, a film that, at least for me, fails to stir up any real emotions at all. The plot plays out like it was scribbled out by a teenager in the throes of romantic angst, and the actors do their best to salvage what little they’re given. Commitment issues can be rom-com gold, but the way Cassavetes’ characters bumble through them here, you’ll struggle to keep a straight face (not in a pleasant way).

Spoilers Ahead

What happens in the film?

Rule is supposed to be this brooding, layered tattoo artist, but the movie turns him into a diet bad boy at best, just a regular guy next door who wakes up with a different woman every day. Rule keeps a tight circle around him: his older brother Rome, his best friend Nash, and his close friends Jet, Cora, and Jasper. Rule and Rome had another brother, Remy, who was Rule’s identical twin. Remy died in a car crash, and Rule carries the guilt, believing it was his fault because he’d asked Remy to come pick him up that day. After that, Rule’s mother got addicted to drugs, and his father was left to pick up the pieces. Remy’s death was the point at which Rule decided to shut himself off and become emotionally distant from any girl who ever wanted to form a relationship with him. But there’s one girl who’s been a steady presence in Rule’s life, even through all the fleeting hookups; Shaw. She’s a pre-med student, and she grew up with Rule. Even though their dynamic has always been strictly platonic, Shaw harbors feelings for Rule. When her friend Ayden tells Shaw to go for what her heart wants, she ditches her current boyfriend, Gabe, to try and seduce Rule. When Gabe shows up at Club Emerald, where Shaw works, to ask for a second chance, Rule decides to pick a fight with him. You can see Rule, too, has feelings for Shaw, and this was just the confirmation of their eventual romance. 

How does Shaw’s birthday change everything?

On Shaw’s birthday, Ayden drags her out to a pub, and Shaw reluctantly puts aside her midterm prep, only to discover she can actually have fun in a place filled with music and drinks. Ayden finds herself drawn to Jet, who’s DJing at the pub, and all she really wants is to take him home. When Rule finds Shaw there, he offers to walk her home, an offer too good to refuse. Rule actually meant what he said, but Shaw takes it as an invitation to hook up, and even Ayden takes some time out from swallowing Jet’s tongue to confirm her logic. When Shaw shows up at Rule’s place, she wastes no time turning up the heat; her every move screams sex. Rule tries to get her to change her mind and stop her little show, but she only dials it further and strips for him and even goes on to meow like a cat, hoping it’d turn him on. When nothing seems to work, she climbs onto his lap and quietly confesses that she’s always loved him, and that gets Rule going, and they finally hook up. The next morning, Rome and Nash see Shaw taking the walk of shame, and deep down she knows that she’s probably no different from Rule’s other conquests. And the fact she’s confessed her feelings over it only makes her crisis worse.

Why does Rule start to date Shaw?

Contrary to what Shaw thought of him, Rule actually decides to not let the magical night go to waste, and he goes to see her. Shaw’s lounging on her bed, snacks on her stomach, when Ayden says it’s Rule at the door, and she completely freaks out. After composing herself a little, she manages to gather the strength to face the man she’s in love with. Rule admits he can’t handle the whole boyfriend-girlfriend label, but Shaw points out he can’t stand the idea of her being with anyone else, and she feels exactly the same. So they agree to see each other, no labels, no promises, but with the unspoken rule that it’s just the two of them. What follows is a blur of steamy nights, ice-skating dates, photobooth snaps, playful tickle fights, eating takeout, and even more heated moments between the sheets—all the basics of a good American romance. 

Why does Rule ask for a break?

Shaw’s mother is someone who married rich, and she wants the same for her daughter. She keeps pushing Shaw to get back together with Gabe, since he’s set to inherit a lot of his family’s money. But Shaw is going gaga over her new boyfriend, and she couldn’t care less about her ex. Shaw agrees to attend her mother’s Christmas party, something that usually takes endless pleading and bribing. But this time, caught up in how happy she feels with Rule, she says yes without a second thought. She also convinces Rule to go with her, and even though Rule was supposed to help Jasper with painting a wall, he doesn’t fight his sweetheart on it. At the party, Rule is struck by the impressive artwork adorning the walls—but beneath the surface, Shaw’s mother has her own plans; she’s trying to set Shaw up with Gabe, completely discarding the fact that she’s at the party with her boyfriend. She has planned a family cruise with Gabe’s parents to Turks and Caicos, and that’s where Gabe is supposed to propose to Shaw. But Shaw dismisses such ideas and leaves the party, insulting her mother. On their way back, the smiles fade into dread when Rule gets a call: Jasper has fallen five stories while working on a mural. Rule loses his calm and asks Shaw to shut up when she tries to comfort him, and to worsen her pain, he asks to take a break. 

Do Rule and Shaw end up with each other?

After the so-called break, Shaw is devastated, and she barely wants to leave the bed. Meanwhile, Rule takes a different approach to the problem. Instead of facing his problems head-on, Rule takes the easy way out, hooking up with Sienna, a knockout who swears she can make him forget Shaw completely. When Shaw finds out about this situation, she decides to go back to Gabe, but her heart is still fixated on Rule. But Gabe soon manages to ruin his own chances. When he overhears Shaw leaving Rule a voice note/text, he confronts her, and when he can’t win the argument, he lashes out and hits her. 

In Marked Men’s ending, Shaw decides to end it for good, and little did she know, the text made Rule realize that he’s lost without her. He sends Sienna away and instead pours his heart into painting a mural of Shaw on a city wall, a beautiful gesture to show that she’s the only one who truly matters to him. Rule meets Shaw and sees the slap mark on her face. His first instinct is to storm into Gabe’s office and take a swing at him, but Gabe quickly turns the tables, leaving him the one reeling in pain. When Rome finds out Gabe laid a hand on Shaw, Rule’s ex-army brother doesn’t hesitate to make him pay, beating him bloody and breaking his nose for daring to hurt a girl. Finally, we get the happy ending Shaw and Rule deserved. Rule’s mother is recovering from the drug addiction, his father seems better than before, and they end up together. A year later, Shaw moves into Rule’s condo, proving that true love finds its way, no matter how ridiculous the obstacles along the way might have been.

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