BEST ENDING TO A FILM

[tony soprano]

Whats the best ending to any film? 1 of mine has to be the USUAL SUSPECTS it was a masterpiece.

[auge_28]

Not trying to be a dick here but I think it depends on the film that comes before the ending.

The ending of Bug was a pretty shitty ending . . . but it was honest to the film and any other ending would have been cheating.

But on the other hand, if you are just asking for the coolest ending to a film that would have to be John Carpenter's The Thing . . . there are only two survivors—neither of whom is sure if the other is human, but both too weak to fight . . . so they just sit there on the ice and watch each other freeze.

I watched this film once way back in 1985 and that scene comes to mind surprisingly often.

[Scarfather]

I'll just rap off the first that came to mind:

Batman Begins, because everyone in the theatre down to toddlers yelled "Oh shit!", in excitement.

Broken Flowers, because everyone in the theater including old, scholarly film buff s yelled "Oh shit!", in frustration.

Though if I were to pick an ending based on any real merit, the greatest ending to a film of all time is 8 1/2, because that ending is not only phenomenal but also the perfect send-off to a perfect movie.

[BiffMcfly]

The first flick that came to mind was Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and It's a wonderfull Life

[Shockwave]

Probably HALLOWEEN for me.

I love when they look over the railing, and the body of the killer is gone. Vanished.

The Camera pans around town to ALL the places he could be/has been. Bad-ass Halloween music playing the entire time with the sound of Mike breathing in the back ground. Evil is still alive.

Simply awesome.:cool:

[Cronos]

The Devil's Rejects

[Scarfather]

The Devil's Rejects

That's the one with Free Bird, right?

[Bourne101]

The Usual Suspects
Saw
Gone Baby Gone
Mystic River
Kill Bill: Volume 1
Requiem for a Dream (to realize why, you must know that shock value is partially what I look for in a good ending)
American Gangster
No Country for Old Men (if you read the book, you may appreciate it more)
Zodiac (make you wonder so many things, like, although it is unlikely, the Zodiac may still be out there, therefore old as fuck, but still)

And many more that I am too lazy to think of right now. But those are some films that I have watched over the past few months that have very, very good endings.

[Cronos]

That's the one with Free Bird, right?
Yup, that's the one.

[hoojib127]

Terry Gilliam once said the best way to end a movie is with a question mark, as opposed to a period (or even an exclamation point).

"2001" is probably my all-time favorite ending (and one that applies to Gilliam's philosophy, obviously).

[Cop No. 633]

Fight Club immediately comes to mind... I saw it by myself in a practically empty theater. After it was done, I felt as if David Fincher and company made a movie just for me. It was perfect in every way. And the last shot just made laugh the whole night. Then I met up with my sister who went to see another film she'll probably never remember.

Means Streets has a great ending. You're left going, "What the fuck is going to happen to all of em?" Leaves you wanting more. Also, it's one of the few endings where Robert De Niro is running around, screaming and crying.

Barry Lyndon has a great ending. I was laughing. Fuck Barry. He was an asshole. Even though I didn't care for Lord Bullingdon, I was happy he got his revenge. It was a perfect ending to one of my favorite films.

the Shining... that last shot just leaves you wondering, "What the hell is Jack doing in that photo?" On a side note, pretty much all of Kubrick's movies have the best endings. The man's an unequaled master of the craft.

Oh, kudos to Halloween and the Thing... honestly, that's the best ending to any horror or sci-fi film ever. They're both masterpieces.

Raiders of the Lost Ark comes to mind. I just love that last shot where you see the Ark being placed in some huge warehouse full of crates.

Of Mice and Men. Powerful ending to such a somber tale. This was the first film to make me cry when I was little kid. It still packs quite a punch. Gary Sinise and John Malkovich was both great together.

The Godfather Part 1 & 2. Coppolla got such simple, but memorable shots to completely say what has become of Michael Corleone after his long journey into becoming his father. Closing the door on his wife in the first part was genius and then the shot of just him in the chair, stewing in his own evil juices was perfect. You can't beat simplicity.

[arto_j]

John Sayles' Limbo.

[Dragula]

I cant decide the best one, but here are some very excellent endings...

Saw
Planet Terror
The Sixth Sense
Halloween (Jhon Carpenter)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper)
Friday The 13th
The Evil Dead
Schindler's List
1408
300
The Shining
The Butterfly Effect (Theatrical & DC)
The Devil's Rejects
The Usual Suspects

[Le_Big_Mac]

A Clockwork Orange

[marcia brady]

John Sayles' Limbo.

So, what's your take on the ending? Is the incoming plane their rescue or the demise? Or is the director leaving US, the veiwer, in limbo not knowing their true fate? At any rate, good film, nice to see it mentioned.

[ilovemovies]

Arlington Road
The Sixth Sense
Se7en
The Usual Suspects
Fight Club
V for Vendetta
Good Will Hunting
Field of Dreams
Identity
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek: Nemesis

[ivana]

USUAL SUSPECTS!!
Se7en
Saw
Chinatown
Jacob's Ladder
Torrente

I love twist ending

[The Postmaster General]

I was thinking of 2001 too. That was mentioned in the climax thread too and I'm thinking it may have one of the best last acts out there.

Goodfellas - that last line, then bam bam bam bam fucking cue in Sid Vicious. That one sticks way the hell out for me.

What about Back to the Future? "Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads!" Dun dun dun dun dun da dun dun da dun dun PEWFT PEWFT PEWT TO BE CONTINUED da na na na I'll be back in time!

Barton Fink - you oughta be in pictures! Holy.. wow!

I don't want to try to think of a better one than that last one. I need a cigarette.

[Donnie_Darko]

You know, I was sitting here thinking, "What IS the best ending?" Now, I don't wanna be "that guy", but damnit, it's my favorite movie for many reasons, and the ending being one of them, so...

Blair Witch Project is just so... haunting. Mike in the corner, Heather screaming, thump, d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d-d... perfect.

And no list would be complete without A Tale Of Two Sisters. If you've seen it, you know, if you haven't... SHAME!! :eek:

[The Postmaster General]

Hey don't deny your name sake! Another great ending.

[WhatsInaName]

The Godfather's has to be one of the best endings out there. Although the movie as a whole is not very high on my fav list (it's still a very good film tho), the ending alone made me go grab the trilogy boxset without any hesitation.

Arlington Road has a really disturbing ending.

Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End. The bit with -----SPOILERS------







Jack Sparrow's ship stolen and him being left behind.

There are many great endings, but I tend to forget a lot!

[WhatsInaName]

USUAL SUSPECTS!!
Se7en
Saw
Chinatown
Jacob's Ladder
Torrente

I love twist ending

Indeed! The ending to SE7EN is mind blowing.

[Shockwave]

Hey don't deny your name sake! Another great ending.

I was actualy going to post Donnie Darko, but i was trying to leave it at 1.

I love the ending to that film. Very well done.:cool:

[Magic Hate Ball]

An odd choice, but I think The Science Of Sleep has one of the most perfect endings of all time. I only saw it once, in the theater, but it still sticks with me. I even remember thinking "If it ends right now, it'll be perfect". And it did, and was.

The greatest ending to a film of all time is 8 1/2, because that ending is not only phenomenal but also the perfect send-off to a perfect movie.

It took me three tries to watch 8 1/2, and I hated it up until I saw the end that third time. It really is amazing.

[bigred760]

I love the ending to my favorite flick, Unforgiven. One of the many reasons it's my favorite flick.

Se7en, Yojimbo, Seven Samurai, and Bridge on the River Kwai also come to mind.

[ScaryFreak1827]

The Shawshank Redemption
Donnie Darko
Vanilla Sky
Mulholland Dr.
Halloween
LOTR
Garden State
Office Space:D

[JJFlamingo]

Heat

[Rawlin67]

Reservoir Dogs
Saw
The Usual Suspects
Heathers
Gangs of New York
Revolver
Snatch
The Descent
True Romance

just throwing things that were off the top of my head, there are so many.

[Uncle June]

The ending of Bug was a pretty shitty ending . . . but it was honest to the film and any other ending would have been cheating.

Am I the only one who thought this movie was pure genius?

[The Postmaster General]

Am I the only one who thought this movie was pure genius?


I liked it a lot - only saw it once back in, I think, February - the ending reminded me of something like Pi, where it's just so much insanity building to a nutso ending. Whether or not it's ridiculous seems to be what's drawing out hate --- and I don't think it matters. I don't think we were supposed to expect these whack jobs to do anything that made any sense at that point. If they'd decided to go check in to a hospital, and then got married at then end - THAT would have been a shit ending.

[WhatsInaName]

Am I the only one who thought this movie was pure genius?

I liked a lot too.

[manderinee]

1. Secret Window (shocking and amazing! i love johnny depp..)
2. Requiem for a Dream (verrrrrrry depressing ending but good none the less.)
And that's all that comes to mind at the moment..

[Icetower]

Jingle All the Way.

"If you went through all this trouble for him, it makes me wonder. What did you get me for Christmas?"

Quick shot to Arnold's "Oh shit" face.

Makes me laugh every damn time.

[chinton]

So, what's your take on the ending? Is the incoming plane their rescue or the demise? Or is the director leaving US, the veiwer, in limbo not knowing their true fate? At any rate, good film, nice to see it mentioned.



Nice to see this get mentioned. Sometimes I wonder if Im the only one who loves this film.

[bonoferox]

Red Dragon - "What is her name?"
Back to the Future - "Where we're going we don't need roads"
Batman Begins
Sixth Sense
Incredibles
Spider-Man - Not so much the movie itself, but the shot of him swinging at the end.
Kill Bill Volume 1 - Her daughter is still alive
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

[blk_flower]

Rear Window
surprised not to see that one on any lists.

[Buck Turgidson]

So, what's your take on the ending? Is the incoming plane their rescue or the demise? Or is the director leaving US, the veiwer, in limbo not knowing their true fate? At any rate, good film, nice to see it mentioned.Anything definite would have been a cheat, to me. John Sayles always respects the intelligence of his audience and he rarely takes the easy way out. The ending of City of Hope intense and heartbreaking and the end of Eight Men Out is just as heartbreaking, albeit in a quieter way. "Those fellas are all gone, now."

Some earlier wisdom from the assembled Schmoes:

http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38711
http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9384
http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7871
http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7270
http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79707
http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85141

[yorrick brown]

primal fear

"aaron isn`t real." then that shit eating grin .


life is beautiful

fuck it ,yeah i cried.right up untill his death he kept his sons hope and dreams up with a smile on his face by acting like its a game.

[echo_bravo]

Holy shit no one has listed Reservoir Dogs.:eek:

That ending is seriously one of the best I have ever seen. It really goes out with a bang!

Easy Rider is another one I have to list too. That ending just shocked me.

Rosemary's Baby is another one that packs a punch.

[Shockwave]

Ill go ahead and throw THE MIST into the pile.

I knew it was coming so i wasnt as shocked, but man, the entire theatre fell silent when "it" happend. Very effective.:D

[therealjohng]

CHILDREN OF MEN

[An0rd]

I don't think I could actually pick just one ending... so here are three

The Blues Brothers
Jake and Elwood jamming to Jailhouse Rock while incarcerated. I can say no more.

Hard Candy
Through the entire movie I was unsure of which one of them would "win." I love not knowing.

The Boondock Saints
That last scene in the courthouse, and then the three sitting in the hotel room was completely bad ass

[Lady Stardust]

Pretty much every David Lynch movie.

[ListersParanoia]

State of Grace. (Oldman/Penn)

[GeneralZod81]

A recent great ending to a movie, Batman Begins:

[last lines]
Jim Gordon: And what about escalation?
Bruce Wayne: Escalation?
Jim Gordon: We get semi-automatic weapons, they get automatics. We get Kevlar body armor, they get armor-piercing rounds. And *you're* wearing a mask and jumping off rooftops. Take this guy: armed robbery, double homicide. Has a taste for theatrics, like you. Leaves a calling card.
[Gordon presents Batman with a clear plastic evidence bag containing what appears to be a single playing card; Batman turns it over in his hand to reveal a "Joker"]
Bruce Wayne: I'll look into it.
[turns away from Gordon and walks toward the rooftop ledge]
Jim Gordon: I never got to say, "Thank you."
Bruce Wayne: [looks back to Gordon] And you'll never have to.

An amazing film.

[Tweek]

I recently re-watched Se7en after a long while and I must say, it still tops that list for me. It's so well-done, from the climax as well.

Vertigo. That fuckin' freaked me out! Maybe it was my fear of heights.;)

The Usual Suspects! Shot-by-shot it was mind-blowing.

[God of War]

State of Grace. (Oldman/Penn)
I'll second that. It's been many years since I last saw that movie. But it's something that you just don't forget.

Se7en is another movie that lingers in your mind long after the credits have rolled.

Descent. I liked the ending.

[MickeyKnox]

No Country For Old Men, i know alot of people disliked the ending but to me it just felt right.

[Hannibal21]

*SPOILERS*



































1. Final kiss on the bell tower, then she falls.... and dies for real - Vertigo
2. The farewell scene in Casablanca
3. Starchild in 2001: A Space Odyssey
4. Rosebud revelation - Citizen Kane
5. "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown" - Chinatown (those final moments are the most tragic scenes in any movie)
6. The flower girl sees The Little Tramp for the first time - City Lights
7. Revelation of Keyser Soze's true identity in The Usual Suspects
8. Norma Desmond's close up in Sunset Boulevard
9. "What's in the fuckin' box?!" - Se7en
10. The ending to Psycho (excluding the psychiatrist's analysis, that is; the scene in the cell is chilling, particularly the image of "mother's" skull imprinted on his face as the screen dissolves)



Most recently, the anti traditional-Hollywood-good-guys-win-every-fucking-time conclusions to both No Country for Old Men (don't really understand where all the complaints are coming from, it was very appropriate) and especially The Mist (shook me up...literally said "Holy....fuck" when that happened) left me extremely depressed, but completely satisfied.

[sarah1980]

not only my favourite ending to a film but also my favourite moment in film period


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KebcWv8AuI

[Antonio141]

PSYCHO
HALLOWEEN
THE SIXTH SENSE
THE OTHERS
THE USUAL SUSPECTS

[Mr.HyDe807]

Recent ones im going for- (SPOILERS!)

The Mist: (Just seeing Thomas Jane's reaction after what he had just done....then the twilight zone ending....probably the best ending ive seen in a while!

There Will Be Blood- "Im Finished!". It defintiely reminded me of A clockwork orange for some strange reason:D

[redorblue01]

Not sure about my 10 favorites but City Lights has the best ending I've ever seen in a film. The endings to Dr. Strangelove and The Third Man are spectacular as well. Also the Raging Bull-esque ending to Boogie Nights should probably be mentioned as well.

[Le_Big_Mac]

Some more than the one I posted earlier:

A Clockwork Orange
Chinatown
City Lights
2001: A Space Odyssey
Psycho
The Godfather
The Godfather Part II
The Third Man
The Shining
The Usual Suspects
8 1/2
Sunset Blvd.
I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang

There Will Be Blood is definitely a new favorite.

[overwatch]

Zodiac
Se7en
The Usual Suspects
Reservoir Dogs
Burn After Reading (bad movie, good ending)
Chinatown
Boogie Nights

[Iclubseals]

Batman Begins
The Devils Advocate
The Game
The Usual Suspects

[John Galt]

JAWS

[PSUDelVec]

I'm quite partial to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

[Frosty_86]

Se7en
Dogma
Saving Private Ryan
Taxi Driver
The Mist
Collateral
The Usual Suspects
LA Confidential
Gone Baby Gone
Unforgiven
Casino
Reservior Dogs
Unbreakable
Frialty
28 Days Later (actually like the last 30 minutes)
No Country For Old Men
Gangs of New York
There Will Be Blood
Dirty Harry
Heat
I got alot more, these were just the ones that came to me fist

[the_deacon]

Kevin Smith established in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back that any time you can close a movie with a rousing rendition of 'Jungle Love' by Morris Day & The Time, it's FTW.

[gayzilla]

Transformers

Optimus Primes call to action for the other autobots "out there in the Universe" chokes me up every time.

The ending to Carrie has become cliche but thats because it was so iconic and effective.

[Pentangeli]

Kind Hearts and Coronets
Le Samouraï
The Godfather
The Searchers
Dr Strangelove

[PSU80]

Favorite endings...

Se7en
Halloween
The Departed
Unforgiven
Of Mice and Men
Taxi Driver
Heat

[Reigh Kaufman]

In the Company of Men

It's very clever.

[eiker_ir]

Escape from L.A. has a pretty cool ending


Snake: ...welcome to the human race

[Jig Saw 123]

Requiem for a Dream
Saw
The Dark Knight
Batman Begins
The Departed
Fight Club
Transformers

[hasselbrad]

I'm going to go in a bit of a different direction with... Dazed and Confused
Driving to Houston to buy Aerosmith tickets to Foghat's Slow Ride. Linklater wanted Zeppelin's Rock and Roll but he couldn't afford it. To me, Slow Ride builds to a perfect crescendo as the credits start to roll. It fits the feel of the film perfectly, and is ultimately a much better choice than Rock and Roll.

[PreySlayDisplay]

A few I could think of...

Jason Goes to Hell
Empire Strikes Back
Alien 3
Boyz in the Hood
Cube
Scream
Event Horizon