# Works where you guessed the twist/major plot point/whatever before it happened \[SPOILERS\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 18, 2011, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023 "2011-10-18T10:29:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/61 "2011-10-22T22:20:29Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I don’t know about you all, but I saw the ending of _Passion of the Christ_ coming a mile away. In fact, when he first showed up on screen, I nudged my friend and said, “he’s gonna die.” Yeah, well, you probably cheated and read the book first. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/62 "2011-10-23T01:58:11Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > I found the Shutter Island twist to be a half-twist. There are some good clues that the twist was correct, the most damning probably being the deputy’s inability to remove his gun from his holster, however I think you could make a very valid case both that Di Caprio was insane and that it was an insidious plot. I thought that as well. I contend that the ending was to be ambiguous and therefore up to the viewer to decide if DiCaprio was insane, or if he was really sane and the doctor on the island really was conducting CIA experiments and needed to silence him. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/63 "2011-10-23T02:54:14Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I don’t know about you all, but I saw the ending of _Passion of the Christ_ coming a mile away. In fact, when he first showed up on screen, I nudged my friend and said, “he’s gonna die.” True dat. I said the same about Capt. Ahab. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/64 "2011-10-23T03:45:29Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > I said “oh I bet Harrison Ford is a robot” during the title crawl of _Blade Runner_. (I know it’s debatable, but we were watching the edition with the unicorns!) I believe that Ridley Scott has confirmed that Deckard was, in fact, a replicant. No cite, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/65 "2011-10-23T03:54:37Z")
TNA Bound For Glory. A few days before the event, I thought “Wow, they’re pretty heavy handed in building up Robert Rude to win the title. They’re just giving it away that he’s going to win it”. Then I went :smack: NO, this is TNA. They’re not bright enough to sell their version of Wrestlemania with a good story and a happy ending to send the fans away happy and make them feel good about the event. They’re somehow going to fuck him out of the title, and knowing TNA, it will be some sort of screwjob that leaves a sour taste in people’s mouths." And YES, it was. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/66 "2011-10-23T04:57:52Z")
I don’t remember exactly when but I figured out who Keyser Soyze was long before the end of the movie. ---
**Author:** ![AngelSoft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angelsoft/32/440_2.png) [@AngelSoft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelSoft)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/67 "2011-10-23T05:23:52Z")
Finally got around to watching The Wolfman the other day and the moment Anthony Hopkin’s character showed up, I thought “I bet he’s the werewolf”. And yup. I was right. Horrible horrible movie, fwiw. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/68 "2011-10-23T06:03:02Z")
So did anyone _not_ guess the twist for _The Others_? I wonder if that movie suffered from following The Sixth Sense by just two years. I imagine the “protagonist is really the ghost” switcharoo was still pretty fresh in most peoples minds at that point. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/69 "2011-10-23T07:00:41Z")
Can’t remember exactly when I figured out the twist in _A Beautiful Mind_, but at some point I do remember thinking, “This can’t be happening, he must be having a mental breakdown.” I haven’t seen _Shutter Island_ – what was the twist? Was it actually a peninsula? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/70 "2011-10-23T07:25:57Z")
I have called a lot of twists, but I’ll actually take this opportunity to mention one movie whose main twist _totally_ took me by surprise, and, at the very same moment, amazed me at how clever it was. This is the ending of _Saw._ The sequels are all trash, but the first one is a true classic with an unforgettable twist (even though the premise was a ripoff of a scene from _Mad Max._) ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/71 "2011-10-23T07:42:11Z")
_The Matrix_. Totally ruined the movie for me. Oh, and _The Hangover_. The whole damned thing. That was too easy. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/72 "2011-10-23T11:08:38Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > Sixth Sense I guessed the main character was dead about when the man came over to give the kid a house call. My mom was like “but… how did you?” I just said “well… he’s only worn clothes he touched before he got shot, it kind of abruptly cut after he got shot, and nobody ever pays any attention to him directly except the kid.” I chalked up many of the clues to bad writing. For example, when Bruce Willis first means the kid it happens without the involvement of the mother. I just thought it was Hollywood at work and went on with my life but later during the reveal it made sense. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/73 "2011-10-23T11:55:13Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > I haven’t seen _Shutter Island_ – what was the twist? Was it actually a peninsula? The movie opens with a sweaty and vomiting DiCaprio thinking he’s investigating the disappearance of a patient from a mental institution, where he’s of course not allowed to have a gun; also, he didn’t bring a change of clothes, and they can only spare what they provide their criminally insane residents – and so he’s soon decked out like any other inmate while taking his medication and sleeping on his little cot at the asylum – all while they refuse to let him look at the hospital’s records; instead, he’s largely limited to (a) noticing that folks leave the island despite it supposedly being on lockdown, and (b) talking with a psychiatrist who repeatedly comments on his “outstanding defense mechanisms”. Well, that and questioning various inmates; one slips him a little note – _“RUN”_ – and another says things like _“This is a game. All of this is for you. You’re not investigating anything. You’re a fucking rat in a maze.”_ What can it all mean? Could his disturbing dream sequences hold a clue? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/74 "2011-10-23T16:50:40Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Can’t remember exactly when I figured out the twist in _A Beautiful Mind_, but at some point I do remember thinking, “This can’t be happening, he must be having a mental breakdown.” Did anyone go into this movie _not_ knowing that the main character was mentally ill? I mean, it’s based on the biography of a real person with paranoid schizophrenia. I was surprised that the British roommate character (Paul Bettany) turned out to be totally fictional, but I realized very early on that John Nash (Russell Crowe) was having delusions about things his roommate said to him. Some of their conversations seemed quite normal, but there were a few points where I thought “That’s the kind of thing schizophrenics say they hear from the voices in their heads.” Since I knew John Nash was in fact schizophrenic, I concluded that at least some of the scenes with the roommate were not real. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/75 "2011-10-23T17:16:20Z")
Was _anybody_ in doubt about the twist in _The Village_? _Mission: Impossible_ (the first one) was also pretty obvious. I have to sort of keep it secret when I guess the twist, because I used to sit back and start reading a book or something when watching a DVD with my wife. Then she would pester me by alternately telling me not to tell her what it was, and asking me to give her a clue as to what it was. And “it’s pretty obvious” wasn’t a good enough clue, especially with _The Usual Suspects_. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/76 "2011-10-23T17:18:17Z")
On my PGCE (teacher training) we did a couple of lessons where we were the pupils. One task was to watch an old silent (but colour) movie then write a story about what was going to happen next. My story fit the actual events _precisely_, down to every detail. I don’t think the teacher believed that I’d never seen the film before, but I’m in the habit of watching old silent French short films. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/77 "2011-10-23T17:19:33Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > I don’t know about you all, but I saw the ending of _Passion of the Christ_ coming a mile away. In fact, when he first showed up on screen, I nudged my friend and said, “he’s gonna die.” I thought the twist ending was when he comes back to life. Those of you mentioning Agatha Christie’s plotting are reminding me of James Thurber’s [The Macbeth Murder Mystery](http://www.sd84.k12.id.us/shs/departments/Language/!Archive/edaniels/English%20IV%20(H)/Macbeth/MacbethThurber.htm). ---
**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:** [October 23, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/78 "2011-10-23T18:20:31Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > Yeah, well, you probably cheated and read the book first. There’s a BOOK???:eek::eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/79 "2011-10-23T19:50:01Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > There’s a BOOK???:eek::eek: Sorry. Should’ve put that in spoiler tags, I guess.😉 But yes, yes, there is. Some kind o’ novelization, or so I’m told. It’s even been translated from the Aramaic! ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2011, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023/80 "2011-10-23T20:32:37Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I was surprised that the British roommate character (Paul Bettany) turned out to be totally fictional, but I realized very early on that John Nash (Russell Crowe) was having delusions about things his roommate said to him. Some of their conversations seemed quite normal, but there were a few points where I thought “That’s the kind of thing schizophrenics say they hear from the voices in their heads.” Since I knew John Nash was in fact schizophrenic, I concluded that at least some of the scenes with the roommate were not real. So was I, because I know enough about schizophrenia to know that isn’t how it works (re: fully-formed imaginary friends). I hate when ‘twists’ are medically impossible. Scenes where people come out of comas and are shortly able to walk, talk, or do martial arts are a pet peeve of mine… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-where-you-guessed-the-twist-major-plot-point-whatever-before-it-happened-spoilers/600023.md?page=5)