What are your all-time favorite movie endings? I was going to do a list of five, but I thought about it and I need at least six: “The Third Man”, “The Wild Bunch”, “400 Blows”, “Chinatown”, “Some Like It Hot”, and maybe my very favorite ending is “McCabe and Mrs. Miller”. Though maybe it only works if you’ve seen the rest of the movie.
Or talk about whatever.
redshirt
The Sixth Sense was truly shocking back in the day.
Violet
I like “Lost in Translation”, but then I like the whole movie.
DougJ
@Violet:
What happens again? I wasn’t so keen on it, though I love Bill Murray.
craig
The Godfather.
Tata
“The Meaning of Life” has a perfect ending.
elmo
@redshirt:
Yeah, I have to admit to being totally blown away by the Sixth Sense. Loved that ending.
chopper
fight club, what with the buildings.
Cluttered Mind
I loved the entire final act of Lucky Number Slevin. Very clever twist, very well executed ending.
chopper
did that movie have a happy ending?
comrade scott's agenda of rage
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
Being There.
Valdivia
Obscure maybe, but a wonderful film with a powerful ending is Machuca.
RP
The Right Stuff
Comrade Dread
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Nothing like sending your main characters out in a hail of bullets.
Nemo_N
Stranger Than Fiction (spoiler):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXtM9fl9ngM
japa21
Because I am a total sap, Judy Garland’s version of “A Star Is Born”. And simply because it fit in so well with the rest of the movie, “The Princess Bride”.
Valdivia
oh and Belle du Jour
I know, my favorite endings are not happy ones.
foggy follansbye
Doctor Strangelove
The Poseidon Adventure
And yes I’ll go there, Inception
Kyle
I have little question about this: Places in the Heart. Breathtakingly poignant.
"Fair and Balanced" Dave
“The Usual Suspects”
28 Percent
I’m in a tie between Annie Hall and The Goodbye Girl.
Update: add “Life of Brian” to the list
Update 2: “Moonrise Kingdom” which is out right now was exceptional and the ending had me weeping
Update 3: durr… Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jaws. Smile, you son of a… BOOM!
Tom the First
The ending of Max Dugan Returns always gets me. Between “That was for you Lichtenstein!” and them realizing Jason Robards stole their car, the room can get a little dusty.
Tom the First
Couple more…
Naked Gun: Most comedies peter out at the end. It’s a rare one that climaxes with the funniest set piece.
There Will Be Blood: “I’m finished!”
Keith
Probably “The Color Purple” for me. “Field of Dreams” has a pitch-perfect ending as well. For comedy, my current favorite ending would be “MacGruber”, with Val Kilmer’s character getting machine-gunned while falling off a cliff (followed by getting hit with a grenade launcher and then being urinated on)
Dave S.
“Casablanca”
“Duck Soup”
gogol's wife
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm: Shirley Temple and Bill Bojangles Robinson in “The Toy Trumpet.” Sorry about the film quality, but if this doesn’t cheer you up you have a heart of stone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKxY3neqqBA&feature=related
scav
Different media and scale but I adored the ending of Season 1 of Sherlock in that it managed both echos of the canon and straight-up old school perils of Pauline cliff-hanger and a bit of ‘fund season 2 or else’.
demkat620
I liked the ending to Silence of the Lambs
SatanicPanic
I always liked the ending of M*A*S*H, because nothing really happens, it’s just over, time for all the zany doctors to go home to the USA. The only take away from that movie is that life is a bunch of random episodes, try to keep yourself entertained.
srv
Being There
Dr. Strangelove
Colussus: The Forbin Project
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5beTy9SnkU
Bud
“Priest”
Although I’m an atheist, the message of forgiveness from the only person whose forgiveness he needed, made for one of the few endings where I actually cried.
patroclus
Bambi Meets Godzilla.
jeffreyw
A Boy and His Dog
Raven
Limbo, John Sayles
Just Some Fuckhead
I can’t ever make it to the end of a movie. If I do, I’m just screaming for it to be over.
David in NY
@chopper: “did that movie [400 blows] have a happy ending?”
After a stint in reform school, then I don’t know what, you see little Antoine Doinel walking alone on a beach, toward the ocean. Not happy, not sad, facing the big unknown of life, I’d say.
Joel
The ending of Memento is a spoiler.
Joel
The ending of Memento is a spoiler.
RP
Try to watch this without smiling or tearing up.
Violet
@DougJ: The big thing was what Bill Murray whispered in Scarlett Johannsen’s ear. It’s not a big twist or anything. I just loved it.
Cris (without an H)
Peter Weir’s Fearless ends with a stunning reenactment of a plane crash, from within the passenger cabin, set to the music of Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. You can see the scene on YouTube, but you really need to see the whole film.
Valdivia
ok so you people don’t think there is something wrong with me. A happy ending. Der Tunnel. I cried.
Also, too. Casablanca. and The Life of Others.
gogol's wife
I agree on The Third Man for drama.
For comedy, Bridget Jones’s Diary.
These are sort of opposites of each other.
srv
In other news, a new Rasmussen poll shows that 70% of American support the Declaration of Independence.
redshirt
I’ll go the nerd route:
The Empire Strikes Back.
Such a relative downer!
scav
No one’s mentioned the end of Local Hero yet which is so good because it was forced on and yet still so defiantly ambiguous. That bit where he’s back in his Houston flat and goes the balcony is one of my favorites.
Violet
@scav: I love “Local Hero.” Such a great movie.
Birthmarker
An Unmarried Woman, American Graffiti, and Coming Home have good endings. Interesting and somewhat less than predictable.
catclub
Ikiru – early Kurosawa. Not a samurai movie.
maurinsky
@28 Percent:
I will hop on to the Moonrise Kingdom suggestion, I had the same reaction.
Casablanca is pretty perfect.
Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God
I always liked the ending to The Ninth Configuration (aka “Blatty’s other’ movie”).
jibeaux
@Raven: Ha, I was going to specifically mention that as my least favorite ending ever.
Alison
I like the emoness/vagueness of the end of Ghost World.
John Weiss
@chopper: That’s a great one!
Seanly
A lot of good ones already mentioned, so I will throw one into the mix on the poignant end – Das Boot.
David in NY
@Violet: @DougJ:
I liked Lost in Translation, and maybe particularly its ending. The whole movie is just watching these interesting people, older man and younger woman sort of accommodating each other across an age gap, both away from unrewarding spouses in a strange place (Tokyo), and they interact but do not sleep with one another, amazingly. And at the end, wait, wait he says something, right? And walks away, but we’re not really sure what he said? Or at least I wasn’t. And it isn’t even in the script? Or am I completely confused?
God, I can’t remember anything — thank god for Wikipedia, but I’m not looking this up.
catclub
@srv: 27% oppose?
only 3% don’t know is pretty good.
I was reading a poll and once someone does not know what party ( or independent) they are, everything else makes sense
(sort of).
They really have no idea about LOTS of things.
Cris (without an H)
@RP: The Right Stuff is a must-see. I’m going to show it to my son as soon as I think he’s old enough.
Heliopause
Beneath the Planet of the Apes
Paul in KY
@foggy follansbye: I was going to say ‘Dr. Strangelove’ myself, but I didn’t think the movie ending was actually ‘happy’ (for those inhabitants of that fictional world).
Rhoda
Roman Holiday and A Patch Of Blue, I love those movies.
quannlace
The Apartment.
‘Baxter: ‘What about Mr. Sheldrake?’
Kublelik: ‘We’l send him a fruitcake every Christmas……….Shut up and deal,”
Mark S.
I had to go look up the ending to Being There (I’ve only seen it once).
Valdivia
@Rhoda:
Roman Holiday is wonderful. I love too the original Sabrina.
rlrr
Apollo 13 – I still enjoyed it even thought I’ve never seen the first 12.
quannlace
And love ‘Sense & Sensibility.’ Always nice to have a movie you can rely on for a ‘alls well that ends well.’ And love that last shot of the coins being thrown up into the air.
David in NY
@Paul in KY: I don’t think “happy” was a criterion here — and that’s a hell of an ending.
schrodinger's cat
DougJ, I haven’t seen a single movie from your list. I feel so uncool.
rlrr
@srv:
In other news, a new Rasmussen poll shows that 70% of American support the Declaration of Independence.
The other 30% are confused because the Declaration of Independence doesn’t mention Jesus.
Anton Sirius
O Brother Where Art Thou? has a truly perfect ending. No final shot has ever so completely tied up the themes of a film as that one.
Summer
@Raven:
I LOVED the ending of “Limbo”. The ending of “McCabe and Mrs. Miller” is unbelievably bleak and haunting.
Another favorite of mine is “Beloved”.
catclub
From Eberts review:
“A group of women have been shuttled from one office to another, protesting against a pool of stagnant water in their neighborhood. Watanabe becomes a madman, personally escorting the case from one bureaucrat to another, determined to see that a children’s park is built on the wasteland before he dies. It all leads up to Watanabe’s final triumph, seen in one of the greatest closing shots in the cinema.”
…
“I saw “Ikiru” first in 1960 or 1961. I went to the movie because it was playing in a campus film series and only cost a quarter. I sat enveloped in the story of Watanabe for 2 1/2 hours, and wrote about it in a class where the essay topic was Socrates’ statement, “the unexamined life is not worth living.”‘ Over the years I have seen “Ikiru” every five years or so, and each time it has moved me, and made me think. And the older I get, the less Watanabe seems like a pathetic old man, and the more he seems like every one of us. “
The Red Pen
Not my favorite, but if you even watch “I am Legend” DO NOT bother with the theatrical ending. The “alternate” ending is more true to the book and its point.
It tested badly with American audiences, which is how you know it sucked.
Legalize
Pulp Fiction, the Player, Silence of the Lambs, Clockwork Orange, Usual Suspects, Godfather, Goodfellas (for the Sid Vicious version of “My Way”), of course the Wild Bunch, of course Chinatown, Dr. Strangelove
greenergood
In these apocalyptico times: Bergmann’s Seventh Seal, along with Some Like It Hot, and the closing frames of the first Men In Black. Also too Aguirre, Wrath of God.
rb
The Straight Story, for a lot of reasons opposite the usual (no ‘twist,’ no reveal or moral. Just true to the rest of the narrative.)
rlrr
The original Planet of the Apes – The apes speaking English should have been Taylor’s first clue.
gbear
I can think of a couple of John Waters movies that have the worst endings I’ve ever seen: A Dirty Shame and Pink Flamingos.
BudP
Bicycle Thief
High Fidelity
You can’t take it with you
tybee
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
greenergood
@catclub: OMG, catclub, I’d forgotten ‘Ikiru’! I too saw it in college film club over 30 years ago, loved it, forgot it, and will re-acquaint myself with it forthwith.
Legalize
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly has a pretty bad-ass ending too.
JBerardi
“Well ma’ma… If I see him, I’ll sure give him the message”
Keith
@rb: It’s weird…I LOVE David Lynch (especially Mullholland Dr.), and I own The Straight Story on DVD, but I have never sat down to watch it.
SatanicPanic
OT but I have been seeing a lot of neckbeards lately, what is up with that?
Cris (without an H)
Kind of like what the studios did to Gilliam’s Brazil. I’m glad I saw the movie in the theater and got to see the correct, unhappy conclusion.
win
The ending is perfect, though. The film just keeps getting more and more depraved, and you never know if you’re going to hit bottom. Then they do.
Commenting at Balloon Juice since 1937
My favorite part is when I wake up and go to bed.
Cris (without an H)
You’re hanging out with more nerds
wasabi gasp
Good ending, but rolling credits over a blooper reel a second or two later is one of my biggest movie pet peeves.
Cris (without an H)
@wasabi gasp: It’s okay when Burt Reynolds does it
Rusty
Lone Star
rlrr
@The Red Pen:
Not my favorite, but if you even watch “I am Legend” DO NOT bother with the theatrical ending. The “alternate” ending is more true to the book and its point.
It tested badly with American audiences, which is how you know it sucked.
The book’s original ending explains the title.
catclub
@SatanicPanic: The nation’s razor is non-functional.
The Dude Abides
Planet of the Apes (Charlton Heston)
The Sixth Sense
The Usual Suspects
Se7en
The Princess Bride
The Shawshank Redemption
The Last of the Mohicans (1992 theatrical release, not the DVD)
ET
Little Big Man
Once Upon a Time in the West
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Casablanca
The Third Man
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The African Queen
Culture of Truth
The Wizard of Oz, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Airplane! 2001: A Space Odyssey… actually the sequel to 2001 is not a great film by comparison but it has a cool ending as well.
MattM
John Carpenter’s THE THING.
“Why don’t we just…wait here for a little while. See what happens.”
Rusty
@Nemo_N:
Stranger Than Fiction (spoiler):
I agree, this was a good one.
BGinCHI
The end of Kenneth Lonergan’s “You Can Count on Me.”
If you don’t cry at the end of that you are a soulless Republican.
And if you are a Lonergan fan, you MUST read this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/magazine/kenneth-lonergans-thwarted-masterpiece.html?pagewanted=all
slag
Movie endings are, by and large, only slightly less awful than book endings. So many raised expectations left unfulfilled.
Is anyone else watching the WH live feed on social entrepreneurship: http://www.whitehouse.gov/live ? DougJ would hate it because it involves people actually doing shit. And, admittedly, it’s bound to contain a lot of touchy feely nonsense. But still…could be interesting.
SatanicPanic
@gbear: The ending of Pink Flamingos, in terms of achieving what the director set out to do, was an unparalleled success.
JenJen
A bit more of a romantic ending, but I will always love the ending, the very last scene, of “(500) Days Of Summer”.
So surprising, clever, and left everyone in the theater with a huge smile. Helped ease the pain of what was at times a pretty heartbreaking film.
OH! And I just thought of another romantic movie with an even more romantic ending: “Say Anything.” DING!
rlrr
@The Dude Abides:
Once Upon Time in America – the unedited full length version.
Ronnie Pudding
I see someone mentioned Ghost World, which I agree has a great under-written ending. The Squid and the Whale as well.
Some Like it Hot is a classic.
The Great Dictator.
Raven
The Magic Christian
Nothing like a pool of piss, blood and animal parts with businessmen in bowler hats wading in to get the money to the sound of “Something in the Air”!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQxL0O1lYvg
They cut the audio when the song comes in but you can hum it.
Call out the instigators
Because there’s something in the air
We’ve got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution’s here, and you know it’s right
And you know that it’s right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now
Lock up the streets and houses
Because there’s something in the air
We’ve got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution’s here, and you know it’s right
And you know that it’s right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now
Hand out the arms and ammo
We’re going to blast our way through here
We’ve got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolution’s here, and you know it’s right
And you know that it’s right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together
Cris (without an H)
That’s why George R.R. Martin will never write one
catclub
@Keith: I would say that Ikiru and The Straight Story have a lot in common. …
at some level.
NCSteve
And here I thought picking “Casablanca” would make me all bourgeoisie and stuff. Between the time Rick pulls the gun on Louis to the last line before the credits, that flick packs in more good stuff per minute than any other movie I’ve ever seen.
And then there’s “Psycho.”
Also, too, “Unforgiven.”
rlrr
Monty Python and the Holy Grail – one of the great endings…
SatanicPanic
@Cris (without an H): I want to take up a collection to pay George Clooney and/or Brad Pitt to grow one, just to prove once and for all if the neckbeard can ever look good on anyone.
The Dude Abides
@rlrr: Yes, that ending is pretty great as well.
IowaOldLady
The Blues Brother, Casablanca
Califlander
The Bedford Incident.
Cluttered Mind
@Valdivia: Totally agree on you with the ending of The Lives of Others. That one had me tearing up, and that almost never happens to me at a movie.
utterdregs
Chinatown. Rosemary’s Baby. The Conversation.
For funny: Bringing Up Baby.
And, because I can be a sentimental sap too: The Shawshank Redemption, Seabiscuit.
scav
Remembered another odd one that never left me and I’m not sure why: end of Sex Lies and Videotape. just the elegance of a simple period. screen door? hint of rain. something along those lines.
CaptainHaddock
Kubrick had a knack for good endings:
1. A Clockwork Orange
2. Full Metal Jacket
3. The Shining
Ronnie Pudding
Oh, and while I wasn’t crazy about the last Sherlock Holmes movie, the ending was clever.
Horrendo Slapp (formerly Jimperson Zibb, Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.)
Bringing Up Baby.
I also like the ending of 12 Angry Men:
Juror 8: “Hey! Hey! What’s your name?”
Juror 9: “Davis.”
Juror 8: “My name’s McArdle… Well… So long!”
Juror 8: “So long.”
Then the camera draws up and up and we watch random people walking down the courthouse steps.
rlrr
@Cris (without an H):
That’s why George R.R. Martin will never write one
I normally don’t even start a series until the author is finished. I made an exception for A Song of Ice and Fire because of the HBO series.
Concerned Citizen
@MattM: I second this. Drinking whiskey and waiting to freeze to death. Doesn’t get better.
negative 1
@Cluttered Mind: I’m so glad someone mentioned that movie. I liked the whole thing. Plus the setup for the whole final act is great because
****************SPOILERS*********************
the setup requires you believing that he is really just a guy caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
JenJen
@Cluttered Mind: @Valdivia: Oh yes, oh yes, “The Lives Of Others.” To this day, one of my favorite films. It always ends up in my Top Five. And what a wrenching ending that was, too. Can you imagine, seeing all those boxes and records and papers…?
The Dude Abides
@utterdregs: Oh man, I forgot about Chinatown.
Cris (without an H)
Expanded scope for you
Raven
The end of Electraglide in Blue
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fS5SBV5wvgw
CaptainHaddock
I’d add one more: Crimes and Misdemeanors.
negative 1
Plus I’ll add The Next Three Days. It’s not a twist ending but it’s the rare ending that makes you look at the whole rest of the movie a little differently, without the rest of the movie needing that ending.
Ben Cisco
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan.
Rumors were afoot that Leonard Nimoy had tired of playing Spock and that the character would be killed off. Not believing it, I went to the theatre and sure enough, down goes Spock. Noooooooo…
Kane
The Deer Hunter
Seven
Psycho
The Usual Suspects
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Horrendo Slapp (formerly Jimperson Zibb, Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.)
Also the Blues Brothers.
And Casino Royale.
I thought Quantum of Solace’s ending was great, too.
Raven
apocalypse now ending
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3868bLZqRk
rlrr
@Ben Cisco:
Better yet, there was rumor Spock dies near the beginning of the movie, and it appears he does…
Zagloba
I do love the ending to Mccabe, but I can’t speak too highly of the ending to the very underrated Road To Perdition.
Raven
And, hell, it may be the beginning but This is the End my friend
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b26BD5KjH0
Valdivia
@Cluttered Mind: @JenJen:
Sonata for a Good Man.
That is all.
Also, too: I saw this in the theater when it came out and that theater was totally silent for about 5 minutes after the movie ended. No one got up. We all just sat there, blown away. I was trying not to let anyone see me cry. But I cry every-time I see it.
Trumandem
Are you kidding? The greatest movie ending ever is “Once Upon A Time In The West.” Jason Robard’s death scene is poignant. I’ll go ahead and admit my bias here but OUTITW is my favorite all time flick along with Casablanca. But both Henry Fonda’s and Jason Robard’s death scenes are incredible…
slag
@Cris (without an H): If those books are half as bad as the HBO shows, then, not only does that guy not write endings, he doesn’t much bother with character development, plot development, or dialogue either.
Culture of Truth
@The Dude Abides:
Forget it.
rlrr
@Raven:
Apocalypse Now has one of the best opening scenes…
JenJen
@Valdivia: I saw it at the theater too and like just about everyone else, I was completely numb at the end. Just sat there in silence. What a worthless, pointless society the DDR was.
Also, the late, great Ulrich Mühe gave one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. Haunting.
Horrendo Slapp (formerly Jimperson Zibb, Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.)
@Trumandem:
I’ll go along with that; and Once Upon a Time in the West has the best openings ever, also, too.
Also, the beginning and end of the Oxbow Incident. Harry Morgan and Henry Fonda ride into town as a droopy hound lopes across the road in front of them. At the end, they ride out on the same road, and the same hound lopes across the road the other way. I don’t know why I like that so much, but I do.
Culture of Truth
Taxi Driver, The Departed… I was just about to mention Wrath of Khan, which has a wonderful ending, but I thought it might look too geeky…
Kubrick does indeed to great endings, which make for a great and memorable film, but Eyes Wide Shut has one of the most peculiar endings I’ve ever seen.
Culture of Truth
Speaking of Scorcese, the final shot of Gangs of New York is very cool.
Kane
Also, too: The Big Lebowski
handsmile
Off-the-top-of-my-head:
Three familiar ones:
Casablanca (could arguably end this thread)
Chinatown
Miller’s Crossing (its ending likely an homage to The Third Man)
Three obscure ones:
Andrei Rublev
The American Friend
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
And one totally audacious one:
2001: A Space Odyssey
Valdivia
@JenJen:
yes., his performance was subtle and heartbreaking. The elevator scene with the little kid? Amazing.
And did you know [SPOILER ALERT] ****************************
that like the character in the movie his wife was an informer who kept tabs on him? Making it all the more poignant.
Ron
I love the ending of “Silence of the Lambs”. Also up there is the “Shawshank Redemption”. “A League of their Own” too.
RP
Lone Star, Pulp Fiction, and You Can Count on Me are all great choices. I liked the ending to the last Bourne movie a lot.
hitchhiker
Love Actually . . . specifically the way those shots of ordinary humans greeting one another keep multiplying until you (I mean, I) get overwhelmed by the goodness of it. Sappy, yes. But still okay.
Also whoever said Lives of Others, not just the ending but the whole film is just incredible.
Also Shakespeare in Love, because of the scenes of the play.
pragmatism
@chopper:
with Where is my mind? by the Pixies. loved that.
Librarian
Das Boot. The U-boat is coming back into port, its mission completed, the brass is waiting on the dock, a band is playing, everybody’s happy…and suddenly….well, you’ll have to see what happens next.
Cassidy
50/50… Not sure how widespread it is but Seth Rogen was really good and JGL was awesome, as usual. It was a very sweet film.
Good Will Hunting
Dead Poets Society
JenJen
@Valdivia: Ohhh yes, that elevator scene with the kid! “Bist Du wirklich bei der Stasi?” Chilling.
Cris (without an H)
More Peter Weir: Dead Poets Society and The Truman Show. Weir does a great job of just parking his camera and letting the audience soak in the moment.
RSA
I’ll second Casablanca and Roman Holiday. And as a sentimentalist I’ll add Cinema Paradiso and Shirley Valentine.
Ron
@CaptainHaddock: I can’t forgive Kubrik for completely changing the ending from the novel “The Shining”
Three-nineteen
@catclub: I love that movie. I sat through the first hour completely bored and then watched the rest of it completely enraptured.
HelpThe99ers
All the good movies are already mentioned, so I thought I’d toss this quote out instead:
“Honey? Wake up. You won’t believe the dream I just had!”
gbear
My favorite ending in a musical sense is West Side Story. Just thinking about the last few bars of music from that score just make me want to weep.
I saw the theatrical verson of WSS before I ever saw the movie. It was one of two touring musicals that I attended in my early teens (the other being The Sound of Music with Mary Martin playing Maria). Seeing a New York cast perform WWS live was a pretty powerful experience for a kid from the suburban midwest.
Davo
Only one vote for “The Usual Suspects”?
Greatest fucking movie ending I ever seen…
Honorable Mention: Apocalypse Now
AliceBlue
Young Frankenstein
Valdivia
@handsmile:
loved the list of obscure films because they look great and I had never seen or heard of them except for the Wim Wenders one which I sort of stumbled into a few years back. Highly recommended and superior than the Matt Damon/Jude Law US version.
Ron
I also like the ending to “Toy Story 3” as it really is a good end to the entire trilogy.
handsmile
Like a number of other commenters above, having posted several favorites, another one creeps back into memory…
While not a “favorite” ending, I was never so devastated (initially unable to leave my seat and deeply shaken thereafter) by the conclusion of a fictional film than:
Breaking the Waves (Lars von Trier)
cckids
Don’t know if its been mentioned or not, but Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory has always done it for me:
“But Charlie, remember what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he ever wished for . . . . he lived happily ever after”.
Golden ticket indeed. Also, one of the few times the movie got it better than the book.
Merfy
To echo the sentiment here, I also will chime in with The Lives of Others. It’s one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time. The ending was superb.
Also too, I love the end of Three Days of the Condor. It’s the first political thriller I ever watched and still one of my favorites.
RSA
A couple of other movies come to mind, though for different reasons: Psycho and Night of the Living Dead.
Culture of Truth
Oh I just thought of another really great one. “Raising Arizona.” Terrifc movie, but a fantastic ending.
lou
Can I mention the cheesy thriller, No Way Out? The ending redeemed a pretty standard, by the numbers chase movie.
Annie Hall. Also, Crimes and Misdemeanors.
@scav, love Local Hero, beginning, middle and end.
re: How the West Was Won. Yes, the ending was great, and so was the beginning, but my favorite scene was Henry Fonda crinkling those stereotypically all-American blue eyes and blowing away a 10-year-old boy.
Raven
The original end of Heroes with Winkler, Harrison Ford and Sally Field. A returned Nam Vet has been on a road trip trying to find a buddy to start a worm farm. He goes into full VC attack flashback on the downtown street and Carry on My Wayward Son is the background music. They removed the song when they made the DVD. Fuckers.
DMcK
Seconding Carpenter’s The Thing. The orignial Howard Hawks ending ain’t bad either: “Watch the skies!”
Some Like It Hot: “I’m a man!” “Well, nobody’s perfect.”
The ending to Tarkovsky’s original Solaris is quite haunting.
Horrendo Slapp (formerly Jimperson Zibb, Duncan Dönitz, Otto Graf von Pfmidtnöchtler-Pízsmőgy, Mumphrey, et al.)
The Sting.
Bride of Frankenstein: “We belong dead!”
sublime33
Schindler’s List. Never predicted that ending.
Culture of Truth
Rocky. Probably won the Oscar on the strength of the ending.
The Dude Abides
@Culture of Truth: Jake.
cckids
@Ronnie Pudding: Yes! Some Like it Hot!! I semi-forced my 17 & 19 year olds to sit thru it last week (lots of eye rolling, etc). They LOVED it. Now more willing to listen to me about classic movies. Yay.
Patricia Kayden
For romantic movie lovers, Dogfight (River Phoenix, Lili Taylor) and Flirting (Noah Taylor, Thandie Newton) both had great endings.
The Thing (1982 version) was a great ending for a horror/thriller.
danimal
Since this is a largely political blog, how about Robert Redford in The Candidate?
“What do we do now?”
cckids
@rlrr: Me too. When I started I erroneously believed the 5th book was the end. Damn it.
The Dude Abides
@handsmile: Yes, the ending to Breaking the Waves was incredible.
Raven
@Culture of Truth:
South
Paw
mouse tolliver
@Legalize: This reminds me Sid & Nancy had a pretty cool ending too.
Raven
@The Dude Abides: Nasty fuckin flick. Was the end the bells in the sky?
The Dude Abides
@lou: Once Upon a Time in the West ;-)
Valdivia
@The Dude Abides:
and also, one of the best roles for her. She is fantastic in that film. I felt like I had been punched in the gut after seeing that.
Along these lines: Lylia4Ever. That film almost killed me.
Patricia Kayden
Forgot to mention two Christian Bale flicks with good endings: The Prestige and The Machinist.
Have to check out some of the movies mentioned here.
The Dude Abides
@Raven: Maybe
Seanly
AHHH, how could I forget 28 Days Later? One of my favorite movies, and I love the theatirical ending. I know they had several different endings, but they chose the right one. They had been through so much and if anyone deserved a happy ending it was the 3 protagonists.
I’m glad none of them were in 28 Weeks Later which I just didn’t like.
Karounie
Brazil has more than one “ending” – which adds up to a pretty great ending.
Laertes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCQjrW0ofRE
Gin & Tonic
Over 170 comments so far and only one mention of The Conversation, one of the best endings ever. And a truly underappreciated movie that still holds up reasonably well. Gene Hackman was spectacular.
Paul in KY
@David in NY: I see he said ‘favorite’, so good point.
On that note, the ending of ‘1984’ always tugs my heartstrings ;-)
rikyrah
reading these replies has brought smiles and tears to my eyes.
mouse tolliver
A guilty pleasure. Clue. It had three different endings, but the one that gave us Madeline Kahn saying “Flames! Down the sides of my face!” is the best.
handsmile
@Valdivia: (#161)
However impossible it would be for me to select a favorite book, Andrei Rublev is, without hesitation, my favorite film (and has been for many years.) (One caveat: should you be able to find a copy, seeing it on a standard-sized home screen will not do it justice.)
Aguirre, the Wrath of God should be more readily available and is a film I think you would find very engaging. A fable of colonialism and human arrogance against nature.
Thanks for bringing The Lives of Others back into memory. I was deeply affected by it when first seen at its release, and will now scamper to find a copy to watch again.
Alsotoo: there’s a half-written email to you that’s been sitting around for a few days. Will try to dispatch it tonight. :)
Paul in KY
@SatanicPanic: My nephew sports one occasionally. Looks terrible, IMO.
boonagain
LOL
Doug, I see you read Datalounge!!
I posted this as my favorite final scene on the thread there. I was never so devastated as I was at the end of “McCabe and Mrs. Miller”. Heartbreaking!!
mouse tolliver
It’s a TV show, not a movie, but “Six Feet Under” has the best series finale ever.
Oh, and Brokeback Mountain. Classic.
mouse tolliver
@Gin & Tonic: When is Gene Hackman not spectacular? Ok, Superman IV. But other than that?
srv
@Culture of Truth:
Whut? Americans always f things up:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-SOciCRCdo
JenJen
@mouse tolliver:
This, this, a thousand times this. To this day, every time I hear the song (“Breathe Me” by Sia) that accompanied those final scenes, I get chills.
I still miss that show, now matter how many times Nate infuriated me. :-)
SFAW
Not sure it’s actually the end – it’s been awhile since I last saw it – but Bridge on the River Kwai, when Alec Guinness has his epiphany.
I sometimes hope that the less-insane of the Rethugs will someday have a “Nicholson moment,” but I realize that’s as likely as my hair growing back.
mouse tolliver
@JenJen: @JenJen: RIP Nate. Narm!
Three-nineteen
@HelpThe99ers: Go back to sleep, Bob.
karl
200 comments and no one mentions I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang? Good grief.
For the semi-obscure foreign film crowd there’s Sansho the Bailiff with it’s great final pan. Great movie, too.
Speaking of final pans, The Passenger’s bravura ending is worth checking out.
JenJen
@mouse tolliver: NARM!!
Valdivia
@handsmile:
:)
netflix says both films are available I just have to return some dvd’s to get them, which I will now do (even if the screen might not do it the justice it deserves).
Thanks for reminding too of Breaking the Waves. That movie haunted me for days. Quite a statement on faith.
The Lives inhabits the mental corner where The Captive Mind is. A very dear corner to me.
Culture of Truth
yes, yes… we’re all aware The Departed is a remake…
Gin & Tonic
@mouse tolliver: Thing is, in The Conversation he was playing sort of against type, as he had just recently become a star playing Popeye Doyle, and his character in The Conversation (whose name I can’t recall) was basically a nerd. Sure hope I remembered the sequence accurately.
Libby
I’m such a dork with a really bad memory. First thing I thought of It’s A Wonderful Life. Rarely watch the whole movie anymore but I’m a sucker for a happy ending that makes me cry. Watch the last ten minutes every damn year if I can.
Return of the King.
Also ET.
And one that stuck with me forever for no apparent reason is Natalie Wood – Inside Daisy Clover.
Vlad
Dead or Alive. Heroic bloodshed film, with the cop and the crook trading successively larger blows until it reaches the point of absurdity, and the last image is a shot from space of the Earth itself exploding from the force of their final confrontation.
Also quite good, and not mentioned yet: “Save the Green Planet!”
Gin & Tonic
@Culture of Truth: With the most god-awful Boston accents ever. Spoiled the damn movie for me.
srv
@Gin & Tonic: The Conversation ending is good: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpITvQyaVb4
vheidi
Vertigo
DMcK
Kurosawa’s Kagemusha: the Shadow Warrior.
Polanski’s Macbeth, for its shock value.
The whole ending sequence of Blazing Saddles is brilliant.
burnspbesq
Thelma and Louise
Ran
Citizen Kane
Culture of Truth
Don’t see the original then. The Boston accents are much worse.
burnspbesq
Oh, and Road House
“A bear fell on me.”
FFredPalakon
I’ll throw in the previously unmentioned Purple Rose of Cairo, Night Moves and Johnny Handsome.
(spoilers for all three)
Purple Rose: Just how much is contained in one shot of Jeff Daniels looking out the plane window after they cut away from Mia Farrow being told that the cast and crew have left: a look of incredible ambiguity and regret.
Night Moves: Gene Hackman looks down to see who’s been trying to kill him, through the glass of the fishing boat. The dying villain, trapped in the sinking plane, seems like he’s trying to explain it all through the panes of glass, what the murderous plot was all about, but his lungs fill with water, and he drowns instead.
Johnny Handsome: A dying Mickey Rourke and Morgan Freeman exchange a few lines. “Well, Johnny, I guess that good doctor knew nothing about this moment, did he?”
Chris
Spartacus. From “I’m Spartacus” to “this is your son.” It’s actually the only one of these epic classics I like: Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments both leave me indifferent.
Chris
Spartacus. From “I’m Spartacus” to “this is your son.” It’s actually the only one of these epic classics I like: Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments both leave me indifferent.
Chris
Also Schindler’s List. Opinions are divided about the scene at the end where he breaks down in front of all his employees: for me it’s actually the only movie scene I can think of in all Hollywood that actually tears me up.
Chris
Also Schindler’s List. Opinions are divided about the scene at the end where he breaks down in front of all his employees: for me it’s actually the only movie scene I can think of in all Hollywood that actually tears me up.
Gin & Tonic
@Culture of Truth: I can see why they might be.
ant
@cckids:
pfft. ya’ll buncha whiners. I started reading those books fuckin 10 years ago. one one i think come out in all that time.
ill just give a shout out to the ending of brokeback mountain….. i thought it was compelling.
mark k
On the Waterfront
“lets go to work!” and the huge door (curtain) closes.
Taylor
Wow, nobody mentioned Bonnie and Clyde.
I’d give The Searchers a node for best closing shot.
Marcellus Shale, Public Dick
how about casino?
JGabriel, Statist Minded Ideologue of the Left
I can’t do a top [insert random number here] of best movie endings. Here’s a bunch of my favorite endings, in no particular order:
Hiroshima Mon Amour
The Rules of the Game
Tokyo Story
2001
Jeanne Dielmann
Vertigo
North by Northwest
His Girl Friday
Trust
The Book of Life
L’Avventura
Une Femme Est Une Femme
M
Seven Samurai
Rashomon
Magnolia
Brazil
Twelve Monkeys / La Jetee
In The Mood For Love
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
In The Mood For Love
Solaris (Tarkovsky)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
The Empire Strikes Back
Jules Et Jim
Before Sunset
The African Queen
Y Tu Mama Tambien
And here are three Great Closing Songs:
Rushmore — Ooh La La, The Faces
Lost In Translation — Just Like Honey, Jesus & Mary Chain
Children of Men — Free The People, John Lennon / Running The World, Jarvis Cocker
.
Chat Noir
Sixteen Candles (I was in high school when I first saw it)
Midnight Express (I cried at the end because I was so emotionally exhausted)
matryoshka
The end of Gorky Park. “Someday, Irina. Someday.”
JGabriel, Statist Minded Ideologue of the Left
He’p me! I been Modereratered!
Cluttered Mind
No Country for Old Men had an ending I certainly didn’t see coming.
Comrade Scrutinizer
Unforgiven
Cluttered Mind
@negative 1: Yes, the storytelling, the setup, the misdirection, everything just worked in that movie. I rented it once expecting a fairly mind-numbing Bruce Willis movie and was really pleasantly surprised at how clever it turned out to be.
Comrade Scrutinizer
And don’t forget Femmes de Sade.
Dlw32
Oh yeah! Colossus, the Forbin Project.
Colossus: “This is the voice of world control. I bring you peace. It may be the peace of plenty and content or the peace of unburied death.”
That one stuck with me.
Suezboo
Another big Local Hero fan checking in. The telephone going on ringing on the Scottish pier. Mark Knopfler music.
“Round up the usual suspects. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
“Rosebud” pic.
“Nobody’s perfect.”
Great closing lines, all.
Fezzik
@patroclus: In my book, you just won the thread for even REMEMBERING that. LOL.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
Chinatown. The perfect film, from start to finish.
Gus
Pelle the Conqueror. So life affirming, and I usually go in for the sad endings. And I second (or third or whatever) what just about everyone else has said, especially Casablanca.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@DMcK:
Oh, yeah, Kagemusha!
James E. Powell
Along with many of those mentioned above:
Little Big Man, which changed the ending from that in the novel. Heresy, I know, but the film’s ending is better.
Risky Business
Inglorious Basterds
Irony Abounds
@rlrr:
This is a great ending. They are waiting for the capsule to come out of the upper atmosphere, and, when it appears they didn’t make it, Kathleen Quinlan’s facial expression is spot on when she thinks all is lost is simply spot on and heart wrenching.
I also agree with Toy Story 3. My youngest is going away to college in August, and I am dealing with the emotions that go along with saying goodbye to my kids’ childhood.
Also have to add Murphy’s Romance. James Garner and Sally Field are likeable actors and characters in the movie, and it’s just a feel good ending.
Finally, Saving Private Ryan, when the old Private Ryan asks his wife if he’s been a good man. Tugs at the heart-strings.
Joel
Donnie Darko. link
Seven Samurai. link
The Hurt Locker. link
Blade Runner. the director’s cut
just some thoughts…
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
A shout out for Aguiree: The Wrath of God, too.
Amanda
Six Degrees of Separation
And I wholeheartedly agree on Six Feet Under
NCSteve
@Cris (without an H):
As well you should. Only thing in its league is the Maltese Falcon, which, unlike Casablanca, does not contain a scene that chokes me up no matter how many times I see it.
Heliopause
Since this is technically an open thread I will mention that Hillary Clinton has apologized (or is being portrayed as having done so) to Pakistan and the NATO supply routes are reopening. The right’s high dudgeon is about to become higher dudgeon.
The Sheriff's A Ni-
Casablanca, The Blues Brothers, Saving Private Ryan, The Truman Show? All covered? Good.
Here’s a sappy one, but I still love it: Always.
Amir Khalid
@Chris: Per thomas Kenneally’s book Schindler’s Ark, that’s what actually happened in real life. The farewell assembly, Oskar Schindler breaking down in front of everyone, his postwar failures in business and personal life, all of it.
ChrisB
Fail-Safe.
Absolutely chilling.
Gus
@Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again): Good call. What a bizarre and wonderful film that is. The opening scene alone is worth the price of admission.
gogol's wife
@NCSteve:
You think Psycho has a good ending?
I’m on a big Alfred Hitchcock binge and I think he’s one of the greatest artists who ever lived, but when this thread came up I was thinking, endings are not his strong suit.
Okay, maybe the final shot of Perkins, but the monologue by Simon Oakland is terrible. I keep thinking someday I’ll understand what it’s doing there. Hasn’t happened yet.
gogol's wife
@ChrisB:
Oh, yes.
Amir Khalid
@Heliopause:
If all it took Hillary was a little grace and humility to get those NATO supply lines open again, I call that well played. These right-wingers you speak of must think that America should not merely have the biggest dick in the world, but actually be the biggest dick in the world.
Quincy
The ending to Before Sunset always stuck with me. The characters spend the entire movie avoiding a decision and the way they rely on self deception to sort of passively back into it in the end, while not admirable, just struck me as exactly right.
JGabriel, Statist Minded Ideologue of the Left
@Joel:
Dammit, how could I forget Donnie Darko? As for Blade Runner (Dir. Cut)… that is a great ending, but it doesn’t make sense unless without the dream sequence in the middle, which is to say, I’m not sure if it stands as a great ending by itself.
.
JGabriel, Statist Minded Ideologue of the Left
__
__
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again):
Fourth’d.
.
tomvox1
Parallax View (certainly one of the best political thrillers ever made).
The Conversation.
Godfather I.
Jaws.
And I’ll throw in another Leone:
Original, full-length version of Fist Full of Dynamite/Duck You Sucker.
Basically, 70s movies had the courage to be downbeat and end on a bummer. And for whatever perverse reason, I like that. Sometimes that just feels true.
burnspbesq
Also OT: Andre Villas-Boas is the new Spurs manager.
Special One
Leila: “What about our relationship?”
Otto: “What?”
Leila: “Our relationship!”
Otto: “Fuck that.”
Leila: “You SHITHEAD! I’m glad I tortured you! How could you leave me? I’m the one who’s supposed to be in that car.”
(Otto gets in car with Miller. Car lifts off…)
Oly: “Best god damned car on the lot.”
(Flying over L.A.)
Otto: “Wow. This is intense.”
Miller: “The life of a repo man is always intense.”
jake the snake
Dr. Stangelove
Gilliam’s ending for Brazil
RandyG
General Buck Turgidson:
Mr. President, we must not allow a mine shaft gap!”
Dr. Strangelove:
Sir, I have a plan.
[standing up from his wheelchair]
Dr. Strangelove:
Mein Führer! I can walk!
cpinva
possibly the greatest movie ending of all time:
“Dr. Strangelove”
22over7
What, no love for Shawn of the Dead? That is a perfect, happy ending.
Also Sunset Boulevard.
As for Raising Arizona, mentioned above, I think the first five minutes are utterly brilliant, all the way to the opening yodel. After that, meh.
22over7
Oh yes, I forgot (why am I always at the bottom of the thread? Don’t answer that) to second those above who nominated Pink Flamingos. As I walked into the theater, a fellow walking out looked me in the eye and said, “Boy, are you in for a special surprise!” How right he was.
Hungry Joe
@catclub: Ikiru, yes. One of my all-time faves.
rb
@Keith: It’s different from the rest of his work, but very beautiful IMHO.
Marc McKenzie
I’d put down the animated film Wings of Honneamise and Iron Man…and I’d add the Star Wars Ep. IV.
And the end of Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List–those packed one hell of an emotional wallop.
Summer
@Joel: Donnie Darko! Yes!
FFredPalakon
@Special One:
Oh, I definitely second that one.
I’ll further add (no spoilers): De Palma’s Blow Out, just this incredible lyrical sequence, a body blow in turns of a twist, and then a single line that ties everything together. Paths of Glory: the ending might be one of the few scenes, perhaps the only one, from a Kubrick movie that can make people weep.
Snarki, child of Loki
yes, well Dr. Strangelove, Casabanca, Citizen Kane, Chinatown, all mentioned upthread.
Robin and Marian. Probably wouldn’t like it if I saw it now, but thought it was very powerful at the time.
BethanyAnne
@mouse tolliver: Brokeback Mountain’s ending reminds me of what I was going to say: Dangerous Liasons. Just letting the lead sit there and ache on camera.
BethanyAnne
Glad to see Ghost World here. No one has mentioned Big Trouble in Little China!
Rekster
I went through 274 Comments and NO ONE mentions
Cinema Paradiso???
The Greatest ending of My most favorite film of ALL TIME.
You must watch the Original, not the “Directors Cut” It sucked.
It is Italian but well worth the subtitles.
Guaranteed to bring on the waterworks!
Leeds man
Jesus. Almost 300 comments and no mention of Testament. The whole film was an “ending”, but the ending was so bittersweet. Up there with “The Third Man” anyway.
ThresherK
“Touch of Evil”.
And for a short subject, “Inside Job”.
Joel
“The Thing” is the best horror movie ending I can think of (no links, though).
The original Terminator had a great ending too.
Kevin
Like DougJ, critics, and many posters here, i only like endings from movies released before 1980, because really, nothing since then has been of any quality.
(please note the sarcasm, but seriously, don’t be afraid, lots of great movies have been made since the 70’s, don’t be afraid to watch them!)
Some great endings off the top of my head from the past few couple of decades – Adaptation (love how it turns the cliche’s they say to avoid into a thrilling ending), Seven, Magnolia, Pulp Fiction, The Way of the Gun (not sure if I’d say it’s a great movie, but i love it, and that end is fantastic), The Princess Bride (come on, “Hello, my name in Inego Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die” is maybe the best line in film history), Fargo (hell, pick any Cohen brothers movie, they can tell a killer story), City of God, Children of Men…and I could keep going on, but you get the idea.
I long for the day when the old critics are no longer writing, maybe then we will see one with the balls to give credit to a new movie for once.
Tom The First
@BGinCHI:
Absolutely. Seconded.
Jamey
I nominate the beginning of “Memento.”
vonhonkington
my absolute favorite is in “exit through the gift shop”. it’s really the culmination, the purpose of the whole movie, that being questions like “what is art” and “who is an artist”, and it’s inverted by the very person who is obsessed by the topic. terrific.
Brachiator
Agree with many of the movies noted, especially The Sixth Sense and The 400 Blows.
Also add Jules et Jim, Children of Paradise, Godfather 2, The 39 Steps.
Also too, got the holiday going early with a couple of movies.
Brave is a very good Disney movie, but a disappointing Pixar film.
The Amazing Spiderman was odd. Good in parts, but a totally unnecessary reboot.
min
They shoot horses don’t they? Also devastating.
BruinKid
I really was blown away by the last half hour of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. At the time, I deliberately hadn’t read the books yet, so no spoilers ahead of time for me when I saw that sequence for the first time.
And I haven’t read the books, but man, the ending of Angels and Demons just blew my mind. Inception too, though that was more the entire film.
In terms of thrillers, The Kingdom just kept getting more and more intense until the climax of the movie. Also, the ending of The Departed blew my mind (so many head-shots to end that film).
Doc Neill
A couple that haven’t been mentioned:
Excalibur (best king Arthur film not done by Monty Python)
and the completely gonzo Japanese zombie/gangster flick Versus
Citizen_X
Agree with so many here. Here’s a few that need mentioning:
The Grifters: Shocking, completely random, and brutal–a perfect example of Jim Thompson’s work.
Z: a swift denouement–and then a complete reversal!
And it’s not my favorite of all time, but the end of John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness is the best part of the movie: “THIS IS NOT A DREAM. THIS IS A TACHYON TRANSMISSION FROM THE FUTURE.” Sends chills up my spine every time I think of it.
somethingblue
285 comments and no one’s mentioned Blow-Up? Or Broken Flowers?
Saving Private Ryan would be very high on my list of worst endings.
stinger
@Leeds man: Testament, yes. Also for me The Sixth Sense, Thelma & Louise, The Commitments, War of the Buttons, Witness. Different kinds of endings, all good.
Temporarily Max McGee (soon enough to be Andy K again)
@Rekster:
How did I forget this one earlier? Absolutely correct about the original cut being better- much, much better.
And while we’re close (Italian film co-starring Philippe Noiret), Il Postino has a great ending, too.
karl
I Vitelloni has a beautiful final sequence.
Joel Sommers
1. Santa Sangria
2. Touch of Evil
3. Se7en
4. Chinatown
5. The Grifters
6. After Hours
7. Prizzi’s Honor
8. Raiders of the Lost Ark
9. Heavenly Creatures
10. The Others (although, it was presaged by The Sixth Sense)
Kevin
In retrospect, Raiders of the Lost Ark has one of the worst endings.
“We have to stop the Nazi’s, they cannot get the Ark”
“Oh wait, they got the Ark and it killed them all…guess the last 2 hours were pretty pointless! Let’s box it up and go home”
eclare
Greed, silent film. Unbievable ending in a desert.
Murph
@Concerned Citizen:
Hells yeah to ‘The Thing’.
My .02 on the matter:
And last but certainly not least: The Thing provides one of the best endings of any movie, ever. To use the word perfect, again, would seem silly, but there is no getting around it: the ending is perfect. Indeed, it’s even better than perfect, considering the pressure Carpenter must have felt to inject the type of horseshit heroic conclusion American audiences usually require. Carpenter’s decision to go with the ambivalent ending (which, actually, is truly heroic as opposed to some manufactured deus ex machina sequel-ready sendoff) very likely killed his chance at commercial viability. Carpenter knew this and did it anyway, saving both the movie’s integrity and his soul in the process.
More here: http://bullmurph.com/2010/08/18/heres-the-thing-revisited/
Happy 4th!
ShiddyButt
The Salton Sea
Warrior
The Thing (not the 2011 one)
The Mist
Rocky
In no certain order.
Ufotofu9
The 6th Sense, Unforgiven, Payback