The Korean film Tell Me Something has a surprise ending, though it’s good enough to not rely on the ending to make the movie. So even if you see it coming, it’s still worth watching.
I don’t know if Presumed Innocent has been mentioned already, but there’s another surprise ending.
I never was certain if the ending of The Thirty-Nine Steps is supposed to be a surprise or not. I was thinking it might be the result of seeming cliched when seen now, though it preceded (or took part in creating) the cliches.
SenorBeef articulated exactly my response to The Game.
I was aware there was a twist in Psycho, but I was so absorbed by the film that I forgot to try to figure it out. I was totally unaware there was a twist in The Crying Game, so when it happened, I literally jumped right out of my seat.
My favorite surprise ending came from “Field of Dreams.” It’s not a suspense movie (I’m not sure how you’d classify it), so maybe it doesn’t apply here, but it was poignant and stunning. But unlike, say, Magnolia, it wasn’t an ending that came out of nowhere; from a thematic standpoint, the whole story built up to this moment.
“The Game,” to me, represented a metaphysical belief that all of the people with whom we interact in our lifetime is part of the grand setup for the opportunity to allow our souls to be experiential. Even our most hated adversaries on “the other side” are actually loved ones who’ve agreed to come in and provide a black to our white so we can know relativity from the absolute. And I believe the filmmakers had that in mind when they made the movie. Or at least the screenwriter did.
It could also be that I’m giving the creative people involved way too much credit.
I’m surprised no one has said Primal Fear (Richard Gere/Edward Norton). Possibly the worst titled movie ever, but a great mystery/courtroom drama with and ending that totally surprised me.