10 Movie Endings That Would Be Ruined If They Continued For Another 30 Seconds

The best movie endings are often the ones that allow the audience to fill in the gaps, and showing just a few more seconds would ruin them. These endings leave the audience desperate to find out what happens next. In many cases, simply showing what happens wouldn’t be as interesting as letting people decide for themselves. It also invites people to think about the story and characters in more depth.

Whether it’s a cliffhanger ending or something intentionally ambiguous, there are plenty of great films that end at the perfect moment. If the directors had gone the more traditional route and shown the complete ending, audiences might have forgotten about the film in no time. A great ending can elevate the entire film, so choosing to end things a little earlier than some people would like is provocative enough to get people talking.

10

Home (2010)

Cobb’s top starts to wobble

Christopher Nolan’s films often end with a surprising image, like Oppenheimerthe memorable final quote from or Gordon’s speech at the end of The Dark Knight. None of his other film endings had the impact of Starthowever, as the final scene fits perfectly into one of the story’s main mysteries. All over StartCobb spins a top to find out if he is awake or dreaming. In the final scene, he walks away before finding out the result.

While Cobb may have turned his back on the spinning top, deciding to live in his reality whether he’s awake or not, many people still want to know the answer. As Nolan moves to focus on the top, he falters almost imperceptibly before the screen fades to black. Nolan knows that neither outcome would be as satisfying as the mysteryand that the most important thing about the story is that Cobb is no longer searching for an answer.

9

The Italian Job (1969)

Gold slides towards the edge of a cliff

Italian workThe literal cliffhanger ending ensured that the British crime plot remained fresh and enjoyable throughout the decades. Michael Caine is in top form Italian workusing every ounce of his cockney charm as he leads a gang of misfits on a dangerous heist in the picturesque city of Turin. After the famous Mini Cooper escape scene, the gang gets on a bus and flees across the Alps.

In the final scene, the bus goes out of control and ends up with its back hanging dangerously off the side of a cliff. The gold slides towards the back doors and the gang holds their breath as the bus teeters on the edge of the abyss. Caine’s character tells the group he has a great idea, but the film ends before he explains it. Fan theories about his plan involve hollowing out the layers, adding weight to the front half of the bus, or simply letting the gold go and collecting it from the bottom of the cliff. The mystery is much more interesting without resolution.

8

Enemy (2013)

Adam sees Helen as a huge spider

Prisoners and Arrival perfectly illustrate that Denis Villeneuve likes to end his films with a memorable scene, ensuring that he keeps the audience’s full attention until the last frame. Enemy it’s even more shocking and is probably the Villeneuve film that has inspired the most debate about its ending. Spiders are a motif that permeates Enemy, but no one could have predicted the giant spider in the corner of the room in the film’s final scene.

There are many unanswered questions since the end of Enemy. Does Helen really turn into a spider? Was she always a spider? It’s just part EnemyIs it a long-standing metaphor that should not be taken literally? If this is a real change, continuing the film to explain it would rob it of its mystery. If it’s just a symbolic moment, continuing the film could destroy the illusion. Villeneuve cuts at just the right moment, leaving the audience with a lot to think about.

7

Mean Streets (1973)

The lives of several characters are left in limbo

Medium Streets was one of Martin Scorsese’s first hits, made three years before Taxi driver. Like many of Scorsese’s other collaborations with Robert De Niro, it’s a gritty crime drama that shows the glamour, danger and darkness of organized crime. It’s known for its relatively loose plot, so the ending can seem quite abrupt. A shootout causes Charlie to crash his car while driving with Johnny and Teresa.

The chaos of Medium StreetsThe ending is a lot to unpack, with all three characters stumbling across the wreckage of the car in different directions. It may take some viewers a few hours to understand his moves, but there are still many unanswered questions. It looks like Charlie will probably survive, but Teresa and Johnny could be in serious trouble. If Scorsese had filmed another 30 seconds, the ambiguity of this scene would have been ruined. Medium Streets examines how life and death can often be a matter of luck, and the mysterious ending illustrates this point perfectly.

6

Rocky III (1982)

Rocky III’s iconic freeze-frame ending is better than continuing the fight

Most sports movies end with a climactic game, race, or fight, but it’s interesting to see how different movies wrap things up afterwards. After Rocky Balboa defeated Clubber Lang to regain the heavyweight championship belt in Rocky IIIhe returns to the gym to fulfill his promise to Apollo Creed by giving him a rematch behind closed doors. As they banter and tease each other in the ring, the film ends with a freeze frame as they throw their first punches.

Rocky III is one of the best films in Rocky franchise, and the final scene provides the perfect ending. While it’s exciting to see Rocky and Apollo back in the ring, the outcome of their fight is not as important to the story as the simple fact that they are there together as friends. The freeze frame means fans can decide who wins, but it also shifts the focus to the relationship between the two boxers.

5

The Graduate (1967)

Benjamin and Elaine escape from her wedding

The graduate is one of the funniest comedies of the 1960s, perfectly capturing the spirit of a younger generation who wanted to break away from their parents’ traditions and expectations. Decades later, it still resonates with college graduates and young adults. The graduateO’Brien’s final scene delivers a surprising emotional punch to the comedy, and its true meaning has been debated for years.

After Benjamin shows up uninvited at Elaine’s wedding and takes her away, the couple hops a bus and leaves for an uncertain future. Their delirious smiles begin to fade, perhaps suggesting that they realize they haven’t really solved any of their problems. The graduate ends abruptly before they say another word to each other. The following conversation would provide more information about their feelings, but the ambiguity is much more interesting.

4

Padlock, stock and two smoking barrels (1998)

Tom receives a phone call while getting rid of the weapons

Padlock, stock and two smoking barrels was Guy Ritchie’s debut film, and it’s impressive to see his style of dark humor so formed from the start. As Snatch, the gentlemen and Revolver, lock, stock and two smokers Barrels follows a gloriously complicated criminal conspiracy involving a cast of disreputable characters. The film ends with an excruciating cliffhanger when Tom receives a desperate call from his associates telling him not to part with the weapons.

With the phone in his mouth and his body hanging off the side of London’s Southwark Bridge, Tom doesn’t seem to know whether he should answer the phone before or after throwing his weapons into the river. Although he doesn’t know it, this decision will determine whether he and his gang end up with a huge score or leave empty-handed. Tom’s dilemma makes for a hilarious image, and cutting to black before taking the next step is a great joke.

3

Birdman (2014)

Sam looks out the window for Riggan, before looking up in awe.

Alejandro González Iñárritu Best Film Winner Birdman it’s mostly presented as if it were one long take. This illusion is shattered when Riggan shoots himself in the head on stage, and the following scene has been the subject of much debate. Riggan’s daughter Sam visits him in the hospital, where she sees that he is recovering. After she turns her back on him and he disappears, she looks out the window to see if he jumped. Then, she looks up, suggesting he is flying off the screen.

Iñárritu cuts to black instead of panning the camera to show what Sam is looking at. This means that many of the different interpretations BirdmanThe ending of is still valid. One theory suggests that Riggan actually died on stage, and the final scene is a brief hallucination in his final moments. He has everything he wants in the final scene, including critical praise and his daughter’s renewed love. In this fantasy, perhaps he also has the ability to fly.

2

Fight Club (1999)

The narrator and Marla watch the towers collapse

Fight ClubThe ending shows the Narrator holding hands with Marla as Project Mayhem unfolds and the city begins to collapse. After the shocking twist, this seems to be the only part of the Fight Club this can be taken literally, with Tyler Durden finally left behind, even if his plan and ideas live on. After so much Fight Club is asked, it is unclear what the future holds for the Narrator and Marla.

The two big questions about what happens next Fight ClubThe final scene focuses on the rest of Project Mayhem and the relationship between the Narrator and Marla. Although the Narrator may not want to carry out Tyler’s plan, he may be powerless to stop it. It’s also unclear how he and Marla will continue. Their next conversation is undoubtedly pivotal, but David Fincher doesn’t show it.

1

The Lobster (2015)

David prepares to blind himself

Yorgos Lanthimos’ style may be confusing for some peoplebut it is very rewarding for those who can get on its peculiar wavelength. The lobster uses his trademark lack of emotion and blunt dialogue to create a dark and hilarious satire on the state of modern romance. David starts out looking for love in the strange hotel, but later joins a band of loners in the woods.

David has learned that all couples must have something in common otherwise they will be romantically incompatible, so the final scene shows him preparing to blind himself with a steak knife so he and his partner can share a life together. The lobsterThe ending of does not reveal whether David follows through on his plan or not. He could reject the idea that he needs to be blind, but that may require lying to his partner to start the relationship. Lanthimos encourages the audience to think more about this dilemma, leaving David’s answer out of the equation.