An unpredictable twist at the ending of a movie is one of those things that make a movie so good. It leaves you speechless in your seat and you’ll be contemplating what happened in the next few days. That part of a motion picture is what will stay in your memory forever. Most generic movies with no remarkable scenes at the end get forgotten easily.
These unpredictable endings usually work best for the horror or thriller genre. Through the entire movie, you are in a mystery and left guessing about what will happen at the end only to be met with something completely different. You probably didn’t even think it was a possibility. Whether the son kills the father, the protagonist being a ghost or whatever it is, if it is done properly, it will be a good plot twist.
However, only some of these movies have truly achieved the most unpredictable ending ever which is why we have made this list. Keep in mind, the rest of this article will be filled with spoilers. You have been warned.
1. American Psycho (2000)
Truly a classic, and it may be Christian Bale’s best performance. Another big reason why this movie is so good because of the directing skill of Mary Harron and the help of the supporting roles such as Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto and Chloë Sevigny.
The plot follows Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) who is a very successful businessman in New York City. The film depicts a city and people who simply do not care about anyone but themselves. Everyone seems shallow and their only worry is about making money and showing off their expensive night outs, suits, and cars.
We are slowly introduced to this Bateman character who constantly shows his hatred toward his coworkers and his alleged friends. He is slowly developing into a character that is easily triggered and despises everything. We see him throughout the movie killing multiple people and animals. He plans the murders meticulously and disposes of the bodies properly. It seems like he had these plans in him for years.
At the end of the movie, Patrick goes into a frenzy which leads to him killing multiple innocent people without a care about the consequences they might lead to. There’s no more meticulous planning, just cold-blooded murder. After all of that gore and violence, Patrick goes back to work to meet with his coworkers. He tells him about the deeds he has done, but everyone thinks he is joking. After a few minutes of a high-tense scene, he slowly realizes that everyone he thinks he murdered is actually still alive. The twist is that everything Patrick did was all in his head. Truly a legendary story that you should give it a watch. If you are interested in other movies such as this one, check out doonung.
2. Memento (2000)
Memento was Christopher Nolan’s first international breakthrough and for a good reason too. The beautiful directing and Guy Pearce’s acting skills are what make this film so good. It is truly something unique that most of us are not used to. The plot follows a reverse order which is definitely noteworthy.
It is about a man who has anterograde amnesia. It basically means the loss of the ability to create any new memories. Leonard Shelby loses his memory every fifteen minutes and the only option he has is to use Polaroid photos to save his memories. With important photographs and short notes, he is able to resolve the crime of his murdered wife and the attack on him. He also has hundreds of tattoos all over his bodies to help him remember who he really is.
The plot twist at the end is that the protagonist we follow throughout the entire movie is actually the one who murdered his wife and the man who murdered all of those people on the Polaroid shots. The entire story of this film is so complicated, it simply cannot be explained through a short summary.
3. Fight Club (1999)
The combination of Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter is truly remarkable. David Fincher’s directing prowess is not to be underestimated either. Fight Club may well be one of the best movies of the 20th century and for a good reason. This classic is mixed with elements of masterfully depicted violence, anarchy, love, and confusion that holds the viewers at the edge of their seats throughout the entire film.
The plot follows an unnamed narrator (Edward Norton) that doesn’t show any kind of emotions throughout his daily life such as going to work, being with friends or staying at home. He is also constantly bothered by insomnia that affects his daily life. The plot thickens when he meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) who is a soap salesman. Later they meet up in a bar, get drunk and start a fistfight outside of the bar for fun. These fights between these two become very common and it starts attracting other men outside of the bar.
To avoid any legal issues they move the fighting in the basement of the bar and name it the Fight Club where people can come and fight recreationally.
The fighting club, with the lead of Tyler Durden, quickly develops into a terrorist group that plans on destroying various credit card companies, banks, and other companies that take advantage of capitalism. The Narrator tries to stop Tyler from this terrorist attack only to find out that they are both the same person. Throughout the entire movie, you would never guess this kind of a plot twist.
Honorable mention
4. Get Out
Get Out follows the plot of a black person getting introduced with the family of his white girlfriend. He realizes there’s something weird about her family, but his discovery is too late. He finds out that her entire family is racist and captures black people to lobotomize them. It is both very realistic, hilarious and carefully directed.
5. Star Wars Episode V
No one can forget the unpredictable scene when Darth Vader cuts off Luke Skywalker’s hand and revealing to him that Vader is actually his father. Truly an unforgettable scene.
