Best Movie Endings (1 Viewer)

[The General]

The Blair Witch Project

Great one. 

One of the first dates with my wife. Told her it was some kind of documentary.

Saw it opening day, packed house. Before the internet was everywhere and we knew everything about everything. 

As we were leaving she said something like “that poor girl” 

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Happiness 

 

[snogger]

Lots of great ones here..

I'll add the "Mic drop" in the court room in "My Cousin Vinny"..

NO.. The Defense is WRONG!

 

[Scoresman]

The Blair Witch Project's ending fell a little flat for me, although the movie is certainly a classic.

The best Found Footage horror movie ending is Final Prayer (also called Borderlands).

 

[Dan Lambskin]

The only thing I liked about the Blair Witch ending is that it meant that terrible movie was finally over 

 

[PlayaHata]

I've always loved the last 30-40 minutes of The Matrix.  Basically from where Neo and Trinity enter the lobby to rescue Morpheus all the way to the end.

If I'm flipping through channels and come across anything after that part, I typically will watch to the end, even though I can basically quote the lines verbatim at this point.  

 

[The Goat]

The ending to Shawshank Redemption is as perfect an ending to a movie as I can imagine.

One that is a guilty pleasure of mine specifically for the way it ended is Lucky Number Slevin. Not a particularly good movie, but it went from "This is a goofy, kinda fun, kinda weird movie that I'm oddly interested in" to "Oh, holy ****, everyone is going to die" in about three minutes.

 

[Osaurus]

Pure Country.  Dusty rules!!!!

 

[Chaka]

The ending to Shawshank Redemption is as perfect an ending to a movie as I can imagine.

One that is a guilty pleasure of mine specifically for the way it ended is Lucky Number Slevin. Not a particularly good movie, but it went from "This is a goofy, kinda fun, kinda weird movie that I'm oddly interested in" to "Oh, holy ****, everyone is going to die" in about three minutes.

I enjoyed Lucky Number Slevin. 

 

[jhib]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Just kidding.  I mean, I appreciate it more now, but still can't totally get over how disappointed I was as a kid, loving the movie so much but hating the ending.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

The ending to Shawshank Redemption is as perfect an ending to a movie as I can imagine.

Seriously, it should have ended with the shot of Red on the bus saying to himself "I hope..."

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Raiders of the Lost Arc - just because I didn't expect that ending, I thought it was very cool and it was unexpected (to me anyway.)

That's because top men wrote that scene.

 

[Riddick02]

Lots already mentioned.  Will add..

The Thing

 

[falguy]

I'll go off the board with The Notebook

 

[Jaysus]

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

 

[El Floppo]

Jacob's Ladder

 

[The Goat]

Seriously, it should have ended with the shot of Red on the bus saying to himself "I hope..."

I got halfway through a reply before I thought, "You know, it's possible he's being sarcastic."

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I got halfway through a reply before I thought, "You know, it's possible he's being sarcastic."

Nope. Totally serious. 

 

[Keith R]

Of those not mentioned yet,

Get Shorty

Godfather Part II

 

[Ilov80s]

The Gradute...that look

 

[The Goat]

Nope. Totally serious. 

The end shot was the payoff for the audience. It was Andy and Red's hopes being realized. I could not conceivably disagree with you more. 

 

[The General]

Layer Cake was pretty great.

Watched it on a plane on a mini-DVD player years ago. The battery died about 5 minutes before the ending but I figured it was over and didn't bother watching it til years later. Completely different movie.

 

[Don Quixote]

Seeing the Raiders of the Lost Ark mentions... it is probably in the conversation for best movie opening too.  I think it would be rare to be in the mix for both (Citizen Kane another one like that).  That may have to be the next thread.

 

[Don Quixote]

Westerns have some good endings with the heroes riding off into the sunset.  "Shane, come back!" and Gary Cooper throwing his star into the dirt in High Noon are a couple that stick out for me.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

The end shot was the payoff for the audience. It was Andy and Red's hopes being realized. I could not conceivably disagree with you more. 

I don't think it needed to be spelled out. And the primary emotional note was hope, not resolution. That Andy brought hope back into Red's life was the point. IMO, anyway.

 

[whiskey7]

That's because top men wrote that scene.

Who?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Who?

Top...men.

 

[The Goat]

I don't think it needed to be spelled out. And the primary emotional note was hope, not resolution. That Andy brought hope back into Red's life was the point. IMO, anyway.

I understand why you feel that way. If it had ended without seeing them reunite, I would have been disappointed.

 

[Keith R]

I don't think it needed to be spelled out. And the primary emotional note was hope, not resolution. That Andy brought hope back into Red's life was the point. IMO, anyway.

Interesting take.  I'll have to chew on that before I say I agree (or disagree) but definitely thought-provoking.

 

[Ilov80s]

Westerns have some good endings with the heroes riding off into the sunset.  "Shane, come back!" and Gary Cooper throwing his star into the dirt in High Noon are a couple that stick out for me.

Shane ending is fantastic. The Searchers has the best opening/closing bookmarks in the movies IMO.

 

[The Goat]

I understand why you feel that way. If it had ended without seeing them reunite, I would have been disappointed.

I'm gonna rephrase this. I wouldn't have been disappointed. But I don't think it would have been quite as rewarding to me without it.

 

[Sullie]

Since Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as well as Layer Cake were already mentioned (can't believe I forgot those two) then I will add in Snatch for the trifecta.  Three truly entertaining movies from start to finish and all three had great endings.

 

[nirad3]

The only thing I liked about the Blair Witch ending is that it meant that terrible movie was finally over 

+1

 

[Ilov80s]

Just saw the legendary noir B picture Detour got a 4k restoration is coming to my local theater in May. Talk about great endings. 

 

[jb1020]

Terminator 2.  It gets me every time.  

 

[Scoresman]

Terminator 2.  It gets me every time.  

 

[Charlie Steiner]

Top...men.

Way to cover me, Porkins.

 

[bryhamm]

The ending to Shawshank Redemption is as perfect an ending to a movie as I can imagine.

One that is a guilty pleasure of mine specifically for the way it ended is Lucky Number Slevin. Not a particularly good movie, but it went from "This is a goofy, kinda fun, kinda weird movie that I'm oddly interested in" to "Oh, holy ****, everyone is going to die" in about three minutes.

Disagree with the bolded.  I think it is a good movie.

 

[The Goat]

Disagree with the bolded.  I think it is a good movie.

Oh, I enjoy it, and own it. But there were a few things story-wise and a few of the deliveries by Willis, Kingsley and Freeman that just kinda felt like they were mailing it in.

 

[badmojo1006]

Night of the Living Dead (original)

 

[badmojo1006]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Just kidding.  I mean, I appreciate it more now, but still can't totally get over how disappointed I was as a kid, loving the movie so much but hating the ending.

Was going to post the same thing 

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Hitchcock's Notorious

In A Lonely Place (Bogart)

The Wages of Fear

The Killing

Le Samourai

Colossus: The Forbin Project

Das Boot

The Fly (1986)

Hoosiers

No Way Out

Glory

 

[Nick Vermeil]

Birdy

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence 

 

[jhib]

8 Mile  -  I mean, I can give or take the rest of the movie, but I'll watch the ending every time.

 

[El Floppo]

I don't think it needed to be spelled out. And the primary emotional note was hope, not resolution. That Andy brought hope back into Red's life was the point. IMO, anyway.

I understand why you feel that way. If it had ended without seeing them reunite, I would have been disappointed.

I love the movie, and always liked the ending.

that said- I agree with andy on this one. I much prefer movies that allow room for me to think rather than spelling things out obviously. this ending was pat- in satisfying ways- but without any room for the subtlety the rest of the movie contained. 

 

[wikkidpissah]

Motel Hell's Rory Calhoun chainsaw swordfight in a human flesh smokehouse gotta be up there, climactic-scenewise.

 

[Scoresman]

Oh man, how could I forget the ending to Pieces.  Gotta include that.  

Spoiler

After searching through the apartment and discovering the jigsaw puzzle, Holden – joking to Kendall that he should join the police force – leans on a bookshelf which switches around and contains the Dean's human puzzle; a decomposing body made of the Dean's victims' body parts stitched together and donned in his mother's dress, which tears apart as the jigsaw-corpse falls on Kendall, horrifying him. Later on, a shaken Kendall leaves with Holden and just as he grabs his jacket, the jigsaw-corpse inexplicably comes to life and castrates him as he screams.

 

[Short Corner]

Don't know if it counts as the final scene but the end of Rocky, ie Going the Distance montage never fails to give me goose bumps.

Also like the end of Searching for Bobby Fischer 

 

[Stompin' Tom Connors]

Love the Casablanca call-outs -- great story behind that movie, as not even the actors knew what the ending would be as writers were iterating and writing through production right up to the end of filming, being influenced by what was going on in the war right at that time.

Not sure I saw a call-out to my favorite movie of all time:

The Sting.

 

[Shutout]

Good list.  Want to add:

Iron will

The good,the bad, and the ugly