20 Thrillers That Had Perfect Endings

Summary

• Thrillers rely on subgenres for compelling storytelling.
• Perfect endings elevate thrillers to lasting impact.
• Outstanding films like “Prisoners” and “Se7en” master suspense effectively.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY

SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

You are watching: 20 Thrillers That Had Perfect Endings

Thriller movies are, by definition, compelling and intense, but when they pull off the perfect ending, that takes it to another level. Thrillers are designed to stir up emotions in the audience. Whether that is excitement, anxiety, or exuberance, their purpose is to connect with the audience, and make people care about what’s happening on screen.

Often, thriller movies rely on the subgenres that they include in order to effectively do this. From crime, to horror, and everything in between, the result of the combo is usually more compelling than any of the individual parts. But it could all fall down if the ending doesn’t live up to the rest of the story. When a movie gets the ending just right, it can stick with the audience for life.

20 Prisoners

In 2013, Denis Villeneuve released his biggest film to date, and the one that would put him on the map, Prisoners. Starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal play two men who are determined to find a kidnapper, although their methods differ drastically. The film ramps up the tension as it races to the conclusion, but just as it feels like the dust has settled, the last scene with Loki (Gyllenhaal) hearing the whistle opens up a world of possibilities that leaves the audiences’ heads spinning.

19 Se7en

David Fincher is another master of thriller movies and in 1995, he delivered what is arguably one of his best. Se7en is the only movie that stars both Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman together, two Hollywood legends, and it’s a spectacle. With Pitt and Freeman playing two detectives tracking down a murderer who is working their way through the seven deadly sins. While the ending is dark and bleak, it’s also incredibly satisfying in terms of the narrative, with Mills (Pitt) becoming Wrath.

Related
Every David Fincher Movie, Ranked From Worst To Best

Over the course of his 28 year long career, David Fincher has crafted a distinct style that taps into humanity’s most sinister and primal urges.

18 Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky did a tremendous job creating Black Swan as a study of the pressures of pursuing artistic excellence, and the many struggles that can come with it. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis play rival ballet dancers set to appear in a production of Swan Lake. While Nina (Portman) secures the leading role of a character who has two distinct and opposite sides, Nina finds her own life reflecting the play. The visuals and th symbolism are beautiful, and the final scenes are incredibly tense, but the final resolution feels like a satisfying twist to everything that came before.

17 Memento

In the early days of Christopher Nolan’s career, many of the trademark elements which appear in all of his work were already present. In 2000’s Memento, starring Guy Pearce, the film follows a complex set of events from the ending backwards to the beginning. However, with the framing of the lead characters own memories being hidden behind his memory loss, both the audience and protagonist uncover events simultaneously. The final scenes which expose the reality of what happened, and see the hero choose to forget anyway, create a perfect ending that launched Nolan’s career.

16 No Country For Old Men

The Coen brothers have established their reputation for outstanding filmmaking over many decades, and in 2007, they delivered another incredible project with No Country for Old Men. The film is a neo-Western thriller about three men, who are all on separate paths, but linked together through a crime and some stolen money. The film takes time to build up its concepts and explore each character and their motives, but the ending neatly ties everything together in a way that is a huge payoff.

15 Gone Girl

See more : Where was Happiness for Beginners Filmed? When was Happiness for Beginners Filmed?

Gone Girl is one of the wildest movies of the 2010s. Again, by David Fincher, the story revolves around Nick (Ben Affleck), who is the prime suspect in the disappearance and potential murder of his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike). However, the film employs not just a twist ending, but also a huge revelation in the middle of the film when Amy is revealed to be alive, having framed the disappearance on her husband. The movie only continues to build tension throughout that second half, and when it finally reaches a stopping point, Fincher pulls out another trick that forces the couple together.

Related
The 8 Ben Affleck Movies That Defined His Career

Ben Affleck’s career has been defined by films across action, drama, and the superhero genre, as well as his acclaimed work as a writer-director.

14 Buried

Buried may not be the most widely popular film, but it is an incredible feature film that primarily revolves around one man (Ryan Reynolds), surviving in a coffin deep underground, while he tries to coordinate his own rescue with no access to clear information. While the movie tantalizingly builds towards his rescue, and even features the authorities digging up a fresh grave where they suspect he has been buried, the shocking conclusion is a much more realistic and enduring representation of such a story, rather than simply ending on a high.

13 Parasite

Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite was a stepping stone towards bringing international films into vogue. Despite several production studios existing outside of Hollywood and the continental US, few English speakers gave any time to foreign films. However, when Parasite struck gold at the Academy Awards, the film pushed many people to go out of their comfort zone. And the thriller’s shocking third act and ending do not disappoint as the film builds toward one story, and quickly devolves into something darker.

12 Oldboy

The original Oldboy film from 2003 is a South Korean thriller that crossed borders thanks to an incredible twist, and an adaptation of that original story directed by Spike Lee in 2013. However, the original has the upper hand in concealing and revealing the incredible twist that made it so memorable. Beyond the twist, the ending is also a stroke of genius that pushes this movie to another level and leaves the audience shocked, for the fact that it leaned so heavily into an idea and completely committed.

11 Rear Window

The original Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, debuted one of his most enduring thrillers in 1954, Rear Window. The film and its themes have since been parodied dozens of times. due to the films plot lingering long after the screen fades to black. In the final confrontation between the vigilant Jeff, and his nasty neighbor Thorwald, the film offers a satisfying conclusion to a story that held the audience on the edge of their seats for nearly two hours.

Related
20 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked

Alfred Hitchcock directed over 50 feature-length movies, and his best thrillers are still just as suspenseful and terrifying decades later.

10 The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense ending is almost universally known to both people who have seen the film, and those who haven’t, thanks to the extremely quotable “I see dead people” line. However, the film’s twist ending was a shock that was cleverly designed and implemented in the film starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment. M. Night Shyamalan’s skills for suspense are outstanding, and while the clues are obvious for those who seek them, it did come as a genuine shock twist, with a clear foundation upon later rewatches.

9 Arrival

In 2016, Denis Villeneuve delivered another hit film with Arrival starring Amy Adams. The film is a high-level sci-fi thriller about first contact with an alien race, featuring a time travel twist. Despite the potential for this to make the movie incredibly confusing, Villenueve intricately puts the pieces together in a way that builds tension, drama and has a huge payoff at the end. The film then concludes with a bittersweet ending that brings the audience to an equal level with Banks (Adams) as her view of life and time are forever changed.

8 Knives Out

See more : 10 Best Disney Songs Written By The Sherman Brothers

Rian Johnson was already a successful director before Knives Out, but the film really changed and elevated his level of popularity. The story features an incredible ensemble cast, with Daniel Craig playing the renowned detective Benoit Blanc. While the film builds enough credibility to assign guilt to any of the people being investigated for murder, the final conclusion and revelation about the crimes is perfect, as well as the explanation by Blanc. Ultimately, this kind of neat conclusion launched the incredibly popular franchise.

7 Primal Fear

1996’s Primal Fear is an outstanding film which is held up by the performance of Richard Gere as the lead, and Edward Norton, who gives a career defining performance that won him a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination. Vail (Gere) is a career lawyer who craves the spotlight and so jumps at the chance to be involved in big publicity cases. His client, Aaron (Norton), is accused of murdering someone, and it’s up to Gere to free him, which appears to be an easy win due to Aaron’s mental illness. However, in the final moments of the film, as Aaron’s future is secured, he reveals the astonishing truth.

Related
Edward Norton’s 10 Best Movies (According To Rotten Tomatoes)

Edward Norton is one Hollywood’s most serious, talented actors. He’s been in a variety of highly-praised films and we rank the Fight Club star’s best.

6 The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

Yorgos Lanthimos is an established director whose work has garnered a lot of praise at festivals and major awards ceremonies. However, The Killing of a Sacred Deer stands out as one of the most intense thrillers of his filmography. The film focuses on a relationship between a surgeon, Stephen Murphy (Colin Farrell), and a young man he meets seemingly by chance, Martin (Barry Keoghan). What follows is an intense game of cat and mouse, as secrets are revealed, and Stephen is driven to breaking point.

5 Taxi Driver

In 1976, when Robert De Niro was still a rising star in Hollywood, he collaborated with Martin Scorsese as the star in his movie Taxi Driver. The film is surreal and shocking as the central character, Travis Bickle (De Niro), descends into an ever worsening mental state. The film ends ambiguously with the audience unsure what is real and what is not. But that very ambiguity invites viewers into Travis’ mind, left confused in the same way because he has lost a grip on reality.

4 American Psycho

In a similar vein, the 2000 movie that launched Christian Bale’s career, American Psycho, follows an unreliable narrator on an increasingly bloody journey that blurs the lines between reality and fiction. Patrick Bateman (Bale) is a product of his environment, and very little else. Due to his psychosis, he is obsessed with maintaining a certain image, and while he indulges his most depraved and dark desires, the movie does not definitively suggest that what plays out is real. The ending does reflect onto the real world, however, and some of the more absurd and outrageous elements of established society.

3 The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The 2011 version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, directed by David Fincher, who makes his third appearance on this list, is an extraordinary story. The film is an adaptation of a novel by Stieg Larsson, and the second adaptation within just a few years, but it stands out thanks to Fincher’s direction. While the intrigue and mystery of the film are thrilling, the ending reflects the same notes of disappointment and frustration that are seen throughout, creating a perfect cycle and closure to an incredible story.

Related
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: 8 Differences Between The Swedish Original & The American Remake

From different titles to dissimilar performances, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Swedish and American adaptations are fairly different.

2 The Butterfly Effect

While The Butterfly Effect did feature several alternate endings, the theatrical cut that made it to theaters has to be praised for it’s satisfying end to an intense and powerful film. Ashton Kutcher plays a man named Evan who has the ability to travel back in his own timeline and control his past self, thus changing the future. The concept is intriguing and a wonderful exploration of a common thought experiment. However, when he uses the power and begins to negatively affect those around him, the choice to push Kayleigh away and thus improve his friend’s life is a perfect ending that encapsulates growth and understanding.

1 The Prestige

Finally, another Christopher Nolan film, The Prestige, rounds out this list thanks to the incredible, yet deeply tragic ending. The movie stars Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as two magicians that were once friends, but are now embittered rivals due to a tragedy which killed Angier’s (Jackman) wife at the start of the film. The ending is conclusive in several ways. The rivalry is resolved, the tricks are revealed, and the story comes full circle, with the shocking truth revealed about how Angier performs his trick, and the way that this is a reflection of his wife’s own death.

Source: https://www.ngoaingubigben.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment