The version I watched didn't show the three of them on Hardenberg's boat. I hate it when films have scenes cut for release in different countries. Why cut that little bit out of the ending? It's a bit pointless.
ROCK STA
RS HAVE KIDN
APPED MY SON

I interpreted the last note in a whole different light
The note saying "people never change" to me meant that Hardenburg was still a revolutionary at heart. And that he let them go into his home again to 'legitimize' them as a group.
Obviously they had to 'break' into his home again to leave the note. But why would they do that or risk it a second time? unless Hardenburg let them in on purpose.
By letting them leave the note and then having Hardenburg reporting on them, the edukators would of gather more notoriety and more recognition as a revolutionary group.

I thought the ending (which does not involve Hardenburg's yacht in the version I saw) was clear: the trio knew Hardenburg would betray them, and he did. This is because he is too attached to his life as a rich guy, and to the system that made him a rich guy. I think Hardenburg was sincere in his discussions with the trio in the mountains, but when he got back to 'real life' he reverted to the man he really was: someone who had been willing to burden a young girl with a 100,000 debt. In dramatic terms (i.e., from the screenwriter's perspective), Hardenburg couldn't be allowed to change as easily as that the change wasn't really earned for him. His sympathy for the young radicals was merely nostalgia. Plus clearly the filmmakers didn't want to cop out with a happy-ever-after ending; they wanted to re-affirm the radical politics with which the film began.
The last shot of the film, when the credits roll, shows giant satellite dishes. The viewer is meant to realize the trio have escaped to the Mediterranean island mentioned earlier. I don't see any reason to believe they're in Barcelona. Even if the maid is speaking Spanish (Catalan?), there are surely Spanish-speaking maids in the Mediterranean.
The note 'Some people never change' means, first, Hardenburg, who remained the man he was at the beginning of the film. But second, it also refers back to the trio of young people, who also re-affirm their own radicalism. As does the film as a whole.
This movie wants to say to viewers: don't laugh at the foolishness of these youthful idealists because in the end, despite everything, they're right and Hardenburg and his kind are wrong. Join the revolution!

I think the note "some people don't change" is a message to Hardenberg, but the three talk about themselves, saying "we will not change and give up our ideals the way you did".
When Brhl wants to throw away the tech-stuff one scene before, his friend tells him that he wants to continue with the political work, and not surrender to the morals of the establishment. He says "the three of us are more important than that" and she says "the best ideas survive". Then they go to spain to disable the antennas.
I think Hagendberg realises at home that he lucked out, especially not knowing that the gun was fake. He might even ponder about the 70s when the RAF killed politicians and bankers. The reports about that kidnappings also describe a very similar, talkative atmosphere, just that the people were executed at the end. He probably doesn't want to be responsible for anything these young people might do in the future (even though I think they did connect) so he reports them.
Z

Wait! So there's different scenes depending on the region?! I saw it in Australia and it ended with the note: "Some people never change." I assumed that Hardenberg struggled about whether or not he should tell the police, but in the end he did. The three suspected that he wouldn't keep his word, so they escaped before they could be caught. The fact that he was in the police car, in a suit, made me assume that he was there to ID them. I figured the reason why they raided Jan and Peter's apartment was because the government knew about Jules moving out (probably a 'change of address' to receive mail). So, with all of this, I assumed that note was meant for Hardenberg. This made me think back on the movie. I recall them pointing out how good of a liar he was on several occassions. I also remember Jules and Jan commenting on what Hardenberg would do if he saw his couch in the pool. With all of this, I just assumed that Hardenberg just started lying (with a good knowledge of history) after realizing that his kidnappers were left-winged fanatics, in turn winning their trust so that they wouldn't harm him. Although he seemed sympathetic in the end, his materialism (his ruined couch, broken wine bottles, etc.) won out at the end. I thought I had this down but it turns out that perhaps I was wrong! I think I prefer the boat ending more!

Ok, so the note Hartenberg gives to Jules when they drop him off at his house contains instructions about the boat, and maybe about the police too. That means he's in on their plans in some way.
BUT two things:
First, she needed a "real" note about the debt-money-thing to give to the insurance people - how did she get that?
Second, why did Hartenberg have to tell the police? I don't really buy the "he had to because or else he would look suspicious" explanation It seems unnecessary.
I agree that he may be in on it though, because how else could they get hold of his boat?
There Must (should) be some other explanation than Hartenberg being a bad guy after all - "Some people never change" is not a believable moral for this movie.

I completely agree. I'm from Brazil, and that's the ending the DVD has here.
I hadn't thought about the theory that "Some people never change" was referring to Hardenberg's anarcho-communist side was still alive in him, and that the Edukators woke it up.
The scene where we see Hardenberg in his apartment, alone, looking very much frustrated seems to me that he is wondering if the 3 will get away with their doings in the future, or something of the king. If he himself did the right thing, even. He seemed very concerned, not angry much less like a victim.
Plus, yes, of course they were in the Mediterranean, they had made the plans previously, and it shows them talking about it over maps yes, most people here probably have seen a different ending
RIP Heath Ledger. Too young!
Simple mistakes cost lives sometimes.

This is wierd. It seems like some people here have watched a different ending than I did. Maybe they put an alternative ending to the international release?
I'm german and I saw the german ('original'?) version (cinema & DVD). To me, the ending was quite clear. At first he's shown all weary and tired in his perfect house, and you don't know what he's up to now, what he'll make of his experience. He obviously informed the police, which misleads you to think "some people never change". But in the very last shot in the last scene, on the boat, you see that it's actually his boat. I think he HAD to call the cops and play the game, because he got kidnapped for quite a while. People will have missed him, his family, job etc., so he just had to.
But I think he has already decided that the Edukators were right; so he warned them and even gave them his boat. In the end he DID change. I loved that ending.

your mother ate my dog! - well, not all of it.

Of course the apartament where the police strike in is the Jan and Peter's one, just by the stickers at the door.
What exactly was written at the message that Hardenberg give to Jule? Maybe that is a letter of telling which and where his boat was.
For sure they are somewhere in Spain, so the maid speaks in Spanish.
The message on the wall intrigues me. Maybe for Hardenberg as well as he is not able to change as a capitalist.
In my opinion, the objective of the boys is a little much naive. But good film at all.

What original ending??

the orignal ending will explain all!

This message has been deleted.

I didn't particularly like this ending, I think it would've been better just to see the 3 of them get arrested. I mean I agree with their causes and everything, I just would've preferred a more melon coly ending.
Something that I also wondered, yes they checked themselves into a hotel, but the maid looked as if she was spanish/italian or something and therefore meditteranean. If you recall from earlier in the film, I think it was Jan who had a photo of an island in the meditteranean that had the satellite receivers or something for all the televisions in europe and he would like to strike there and disable it. Maybe the hotel they are staying in is somewhere in that area because they plan to disable the systems on that island?
Just a thought.
Laters.

I believe the apartment the SWAT team is at is Jan and Peter's, not Jule's. Because of the stickers on the door. I thought the same thing, that it was Jule's, but her walls didn't look that shabby, plus the door stickers.
And they were safely in a hotel room - my guess is that it is near the Mediterranean, working on their next project.

I've seen the ending where it just stops at 'Some people never change' and I think that Hardenberg let them go in the end. The note was probably aimed at the viewers, rather than the characters in the film to demonstrate that Hardenberg was finally educated. It doesn't seem too realistic, but there's numerous interpretations.
There are times when life calls out for a change

It's not an hotel, it was just their normal appartement from the beginning. The businessman just took the adress he had from Jules (probably from the case of the Mercedes) but as we know from the story she moves out and thus misses them.
So they were a bit naieve about the businessman but still are safe in the end.

Yes, I think that's definitely the case. Since when do cops arrest somebody and then bring them along while they arrest somebody else?

i took the ending as he was still the richer narc he didnt really change after being kidnapped even though it seems he did
Last Seen:
Memento 10/10
The Bridge 10/10
Iron Man 9/10

When I first saw the film I read the ending as meaning that the kids were in Handenburg;s house, that the maid was Mrs Schwarz, and that he had misled the police.

I read Handenburg as being in the police car to ID them, not that he was arrested

That is what I assumed too. The 3 are in that hotel/apartment somewhere in the Mediterranean like Jan talked about for taking out the TV signals for all of Europe. On the boat they get on there are the ID papers for Hardenberg so I assumed it was his boat and he was allowing them to use it for that purpose.

I saw Handenberg sitting in the police car at the end, so he was arrested too. So maybe he joined the group or something, and they kept breaking in houses. That's why the letter in the house says: some people never change. Because inside he was still the guy he used to be when he was young.
I don't know, that's how I saw it

I was surprised at the ending. I had began to like Hardenbergs character, and didnt think he would turn Jan, Jules and Peter for the one main reason that it seemed he had enjoyed the escape of his own life by being kidnapped and not being withheld by the constructs of living in high society for those few days.
When we see Hardenberg for the first time outside his house on the cell phone we notice how hyighly strung he is, in his sweater, and stressed expression on his face, which is ni strong contrast to the relaxed person we see standing in the mountains. For this reason alone, i expected him to be grateful to the youngsters. Although kidnapping is a serious crime, it seemed like this was a small part of the story.
When we see Hardenberg sitting depressed and restless on his couch I think it does show that he may have found come conscious, within himself, for reporting the trio.
All in the all, i think a great film.

I saw the ending with Jan, Jules and Peter in a hotel room. what's the alternate ending? Someone mentioned there's another materialistic ending too.