# Greatest movie twist endings **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 14, 2001, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735 "2001-06-14T00:20:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/21 "2001-06-14T13:17:03Z")
What? Eve talks about old movies no one has seen or heard of? What a surprise! Spoilers to follow, just in case you ever do get TCM: • “Rain” (1932). Preacher converts prostitute, then at the end of the movie rapes her and commits suicide. You’d have a hard time remaking THAT one today! • “High Stakes” (1931). Mae Murray is a dizzy Betty Boop-type bride who, at the end, reveals herself to be a bitter gold digger. • “Intolerance” (1916). They KILL a character that you just can’t believe they’d kill! Still can’t get over that one. • “Freaks” (1932). Yow. Did this make that idiotic AFI “most suspenseful” list? Probably not . . . ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/22 "2001-06-14T13:34:14Z")
_Kiss Her Goodbye_ (1959). Emily DIES. She DIES. Drowns right there in the surf. I couldn’t believe it! Good thing I didn’t notice the title of the movie before it was over, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/23 "2001-06-14T14:52:32Z")
**Blade Runner!!!** (A twist so subtle you might miss it.) Also, I’ll toss in my vote for the already-mentioned **Primal Fear** , **Angel Heart** , **The Sixth Sense** , **Memento** , **Psycho** and **Chinatown**. I’m one of those people who doesn’t get the “greatness” of **The Usual Suspects**. I mean come on. Who didn’t see that one coming a mile away? ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/24 "2001-06-14T15:02:13Z")
Ike—You GAVE AWAY THE ENDING to “Kiss Her Goodbye?!” How are we ever going to inveigle people into watching it when AMC does their “All-Kiss-Her-Goodbye” week? And here I was going to try to convince Andrew Lloyd Weber into making it a B’way musical, with Elaine Stritch re-creating her role a “Horse-Faced Waitress.” ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/25 "2001-06-14T15:27:00Z")
Whoops! Okay, I’ll cover it up… …the title REALLY means that Ed kisses his “little sister” Emily goodbye when she decides to leave the teeny little town, head east, and attend Harvard Divinity School. Ed, unfortunately, must stay berhind in his important position at the service station. And he’s also fallen in love with Marge the Horse-Faced Waitress, although Esmeralda, the Mysterious Somewhat Latino Domestic has also set her cap for him. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/26 "2001-06-14T16:13:51Z")
How could I forget this one? **Lone Star** - Perhaps my favorite “twist ending” movie of all time. Texas sheriff tries to solve a 40-year-old murder and gets more information than he bargained for. ---
**Author:** ![jdl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@jdl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdl)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/27 "2001-06-14T16:27:25Z")
Presumed Innocent Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/28 "2001-06-14T19:02:28Z")
Not the greatest twist ending of all time, by any means, but the one at the end of **Cube** was pretty good. My other favorites have already been mentioned. Oh wait! Also, **Unbreakable**. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2001, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/29 "2001-06-14T19:55:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beadalin \* > \*\* > > Oh wait! Also, **Unbreakable**. \*\* I agree. But, had it ended about 15-20 seconds sooner (before the freeze-frame), it would have been better. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/30 "2001-06-15T02:02:51Z")
just finished watching The Crying Game. That has a great twist in the middle, anyway. I still can’t believe I was fooled the first time. Then there’s Jacob’s Ladder. ---
**Author:** ![sdarr2002](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@sdarr2002](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdarr2002)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/31 "2001-06-15T16:10:17Z")
Clue is the BEST you never saw the fact thw mr green was an FBI agent or for that matter that he was strait! ok maybe clue doesn’t have the best twist. but how do you see silence of the lamps??? we all knew that she was going to catch the killer that is movies work ALWAYS!!! so to have a true twist ending you have to get away from the same plot line that most action movies have. another great twist ending would have been what lies beneth if only she had killed the girl and forgat insteed of ford killing her you could have never seen that one comeing ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/32 "2001-06-15T17:22:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spoke- \* > \*\ ***Blade Runner!!!** (A twist so subtle you might miss it.) > \*\* Probably too subtle for me… I just watched it recently and I don’t remember anything that “twisty”…but maybe my memory just sucks… is Harrison a robot or something? We know that whats-er-wacked-out-face is, but…?? stoid ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2001, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/33 "2001-06-15T22:16:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stoid \* > **is Harrison a robot or something? We know that whats-er-wacked-out-face is, but…??** Depending on what version you see. It’s not that clear in the origianl release, but if you watch the dierctor’s cut, there is a strong case that Ford is also an android and Edward James Olmos knows it. It’s subtle and open to interpretation, though. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/34 "2001-06-16T13:07:45Z")
Just read the book \*Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep \* by Phillip K Dick. It is so different from the film and much much better. I did like the twist ending of LA Confidential. Each of the three cops has to do something completly against their character. Russel Crowe hits a woman. Kevin Spacey has to actually care about his job. Then at the end Guy Pearce has to do the one thing he swore he would never do at the begining of the film. He shoots an unarmed man in back and calls it justice. Greatest twist ending of all time? Citizen Kane! This whole quest is never fulfilled and it was pointless besides. Also, TItanic! They are still alive down there! Oh my GOD! Who saw that coming!?!?! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![quasar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@quasar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quasar)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2001, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/35 "2001-06-16T22:09:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beadalin \* > Oh wait! Also, **Unbreakable**. Yep. A much better–and far less contrived–movie than the overrated Sixth Sense. Also, **Armageddon**. I had already been told Bruce Willis died, yet I was shocked when it actually happened. ---
**Author:** ![HelloKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecccb3/32.png) [@HelloKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelloKitty)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/36 "2001-06-17T00:40:07Z")
**Planet of the Apes** gets my vote for best twist ending. Trailers for the Tim Burton remake look great…hope the movie lives up to it. Saw that Heston is playing an ape this time…talk about twists!! Another great Charlton Heston twist ending is **Soylent Green**. It’s made of people, you know. Also, a great old movie with a twist-type ending is **Rebecca** with Laurence Olivier. That one keeps you guessing until the end. ---
**Author:** ![curwin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@curwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curwin)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2001, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/37 "2001-06-17T11:21:07Z")
No Way Out ---
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/38 "2001-06-18T01:03:09Z")
The Game, Seven, and Fight Club have all been mentioned. I guess David Fincher just has a knack for directing twisty movies. Besides the above, I would also say (and I know some are already listed): -Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels (okay, not really a twist, but certainly a great ending) -eXistenZ -Heavenly Creatures -12 Monkeys -Unbreakable ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/39 "2001-06-18T01:12:33Z")
And I forgot Frederick Forsyth movies: **The Day of the Jackal The Odessa File No Comebacks** (A REALLY rare movie – I have the only copy of it I’ve ever seen on videotape. Actually, it’s not the Forsyth story "No Comebacks, but the story “The Careful Man” which appears in the story collection “No Comebacks”. Confused?) I’d love it if somone were to make a mini-series out of **The Devil’s Alternative** THAT would have a great twist! And, of course, there are the Jules Verne novels with twists that have been filmed: \*\*Around the World in 80 Days Michael Strogoff\*\* I also thought the twist at the end of **Robocop** was pretty cute. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2001, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735/40 "2001-06-18T01:15:07Z")
**Stoid** - In **Bladerunner** , Harrison Ford’s character has a dream about a unicorn. At the end of the film, Olmos’s character leaves an oragami unicorn for Ford to find. How would Olmos know about Ford’s dreams unless the dreams are implants (meaning that Ford is a Replicant)? Subtle, see? There are some other subtle hints along the way. Watch the movie with this idea in mind and you’ll see what I mean. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-movie-twist-endings/68735.md?page=3)