In the case of these movie endings, the second time's the charm. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most intriguing film finales that deserve a rewatch to better understand the story, appreciate a plot twist, or simply enjoy the subtleties of a particular moment.
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00:00Maybe I'll go riding.
00:02Okay.
00:03What do you think?
00:04Well, I can't plan your day.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most intriguing film
00:11finales that deserve a rewatch to better understand the story, appreciate a plot twist, or simply
00:19enjoy the subtleties of a particular moment.
00:22There are spoilers ahead, so be warned.
00:25I don't want to go in there.
00:30Number 10.
00:32Donnie Darko.
00:34What's going on?
00:36Horrible accident.
00:38My neighbor got killed.
00:42What happened?
00:44Many years after its release, this film's ending still confounds many, even those who
00:49have rewatched it multiple times.
00:52Donnie Darko is a troubled teenager who begins to exhibit strange behavior after encountering
00:57a mysterious figure named Frank.
01:00Following an intense build-up, the film comes to a rather shocking and abrupt end, as Donnie's
01:06death sends shockwaves through the community.
01:20The narrative is completely twisted on its head, with the confusing timeline giving it
01:25an entirely new context.
01:27A second viewing would certainly allow audiences to better understand the movie's time travel
01:32mechanics, and piece together clues that were hidden in earlier scenes.
01:37It would also give further insight into Donnie, with all of his abilities and complex emotions
01:43becoming clearer.
01:45I feel bad for his family.
01:48Yeah.
01:50Number 9.
01:51Taxi Driver.
02:00At the end of this intense drama, Travis Bickle frees a young girl with a small arsenal of
02:05weapons.
02:06He's wounded, survives the shootout, and becomes a hero.
02:10Did he live to tell the tale, or is it just a fantasy before death?
02:14Director Martin Scorsese explores the psyche of a troubled man better than anybody could.
02:20The final moments give Bickle what he always wanted, a celebrated national hero who is
02:25happy at work as a cab driver.
02:27But something about it seems too sanitized to be true.
02:31I read about you in the papers.
02:33How are you?
02:37Oh, it's nothing really.
02:38I get over that.
02:42Papers always blow these things up.
02:44The film never definitively clears this up, allowing viewers to decide for themselves
02:50after watching it again.
02:51Scorsese's open-ended finale creates moral questions that remain fascinating after all
02:56these years.
02:58How much was it?
03:11Number 8.
03:13Inception After a whirlwind journey stealing from people
03:30by infiltrating their dreams, Dom Cobb returns to his family in America.
03:35However, he still feels the need to know if he is in a dream or the real world.
03:40Dom spins the top but then abandons it and embraces his children, choosing not to know
03:45the outcome.
03:47Director Christopher Nolan closes the film with a question mark, prompting viewers to
03:51discuss the ending at length.
03:53It's a thrilling moment filled with incredible emotion that will leave you thinking no matter
03:58how many times you see it.
04:00This wouldn't be the first Nolan finale worthy of a rewatch either.
04:05His earlier film, Memento, also ends with a gut punch.
04:17Number 7.
04:18Enemy Over the course of this trippy thriller, director
04:25Denis Villeneuve keeps you guessing about two identical men.
04:29In the end, one seems to be dead and the other, having stepped into the shoes of his doppelganger,
04:35encounters a massive tarantula instead of his wife.
04:38It might seem illogical at first, but things only start to get clearer on repeated viewings.
04:43That's when the hazy details come into focus.
04:46The ripped picture, the spider in the opening scene, all pointing to the fact that Adam
04:51and Anthony are one and the same.
04:53It's a shocking yet ambiguous ending that could be interpreted in a myriad of ways,
04:58but you'd definitely need a second watch to fully grab the film's subtext.
05:09Number 6.
05:10Vertigo Due to an incident that results in the death
05:13of his colleague, Scotty Ferguson develops a fear of heights.
05:17He then becomes the victim of a plan by his old friend which is so convoluted that you
05:22might not fully grasp it on first watch.
05:25Scotty takes his new flame Judy to a bell tower where she falls to her death in a tragic accident.
05:46Director Alfred Hitchcock doesn't wait for the audience to catch up, much less care to
05:51explain the intricacies of the plot.
05:53Is Judy the same person as Madeline?
05:56Why does she jump upon seeing the nun?
05:58And how does Scotty overcome his fear of heights?
06:01You'd likely have to go back again to figure it all out.
06:05I made it.
06:07Number 5.
06:08American Psycho
06:10I killed Paul Allen.
06:14And I liked it.
06:17I can't make myself any clearer.
06:19A New York banker kills many people, but his voicemail confessing to all the murders falls
06:24on deaf ears.
06:25No one seems to believe any of the horrendous things he claims to have done.
06:30Patrick Bateman ends the film with some harrowing narration.
06:33Leaving the audience feeling uneasy.
06:47Other movies might give this kind of character a comeuppance.
06:50In American Psycho, however, the protagonist seems to evade justice for his crimes.
06:55Filmmaker Mary Herron leaves viewers in Bateman's warped mind, making them question everything
07:01that has happened, just like he does.
07:03The ending sets up a number of profound questions about evil.
07:07Asking people to provide their own theories over multiple viewings.
07:11I had dinner with Paul Allen twice in London.
07:15Just 10 days ago.
07:16No, you...
07:18Number 4.
07:19No Country for Old Men
07:21How'd you sleep?
07:22I don't know.
07:23I had dreams.
07:25Well, you got time for them now.
07:27Rather than ending with a climactic shootout, this intense film chooses to finish things off
07:32with an excellent laid back monologue.
07:34Sheriff Bell recounts a dream about his father before the movie cuts to black.
07:39Some might come away unsatisfied.
07:41But this speech does provide a great bookend.
07:44Bell's words open and close the story as he describes his family, his philosophies
07:49and his insights into the future.
07:51In the dream I knew that he was going on ahead.
07:57He's fixing to make a fire somewhere out there in all that dark and all that cold.
08:02He failed to save the hero or stop the villain.
08:05Setting up this final moment where he struggles for answers.
08:09Sometimes it's important to know that not all stories have happy endings.
08:14It's widely considered an unorthodox finale.
08:17But it leaves viewers with so much to unpack for just one viewing.
08:21I knew that whenever I got there he'd be there.
08:28Then I woke up.
08:30Number 3. The Shining
08:33Miss Grady, weren't you once the caretaker here?
08:39I didn't believe so.
08:41Jack Torrance chases his son Danny through a hedge maze.
08:45But he ends up freezing to death.
08:47The ending of this Stephen King adaptation then features a chilling glimpse at a picture.
08:52Torrance appears to be in a photo from the 1920s.
08:55Making his entire existence seem shady.
08:58It calls into question his age, life and past employment history.
09:02It almost sneaks up on you.
09:04With a final gut punch that you need to see twice to fully digest.
09:08The supernatural plot comes back to haunt viewers with the notion that not everything is as it seems.
09:15I'm sorry to differ with you sir.
09:20But you are the caretaker.
09:25You've always been the caretaker.
09:29Number 2. Mulholland Drive
09:32Short cut.
09:36Come on sweetheart.
09:40By the end of Mulholland Drive you might find yourself questioning reality itself.
09:44Aspiring actress Diane Selwyn pays a hitman to kill her rival Camilla Rhodes.
09:50Emotions get the best of her.
09:52Prompting a horrifying death scene in another trip to Club Silencio.
10:02Director David Lynch is known for his surreal ideas.
10:05And this ending continues in that tradition.
10:08Another watch might help viewers pick up on details such as the blue key.
10:13But there isn't just one way to interpret this conclusion.
10:16It's certainly taking aim at universal concepts such as jealousy, regrets and mental health.
10:22The director also puts you at the center of a breakdown.
10:25With Naomi Watts giving a nuanced performance that's certainly worth revisiting.
10:30Silencio.
10:36Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:40The usual suspects.
10:42The evil mastermind thwarts Agent Kuyon with a miraculous lie.
10:46The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.
10:54And like that, he's gone.
10:57Anatomy of a fall.
10:59Sandra returns home, but the question of her guilt remains unresolved.
11:13Whiplash.
11:16Andrew wows in his final solo and arguably falls under the spell of his evil teacher.
11:29Fight Club.
11:31The narrator and Tyler Durden blur together as the film reaches an explosive end.
11:42We defeat all the air and open all the doors.
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12:04Number 1. 2001 A Space Odyssey.
12:08Evidence seems pretty conclusive that it hasn't been covered up by natural erosion or other forces.
12:13It seems to have been deliberately buried.
12:16Deliberately buried.
12:18Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece asks fundamental questions about the universe, technology and humanity.
12:26The final scene sees astronaut Dave Bowman age rapidly until he encounters the mysterious monolith.
12:32This turns him into a celestial fetus that hovers in space.
12:37What does it all mean?
12:39The answers aren't exactly clear.
12:41But the director invites viewers to draw their own conclusions about the monolith's power.
12:46A first watch will definitely leave you puzzled.
12:49But a second viewing might bring you closer to understanding the metaphorical nature.
12:53Whatever the literal meaning may be, the film asks you to ponder the mysteries of life.
12:59It's a groundbreaking statement that warrants countless viewings to fully appreciate its depth.
13:07NUMBER 2
13:15Did we forget another movie ending that deserves a rewatch?
13:19Let us know in the comments below.
13:21God damn you!
13:23God damn you all to hell!
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