Samuel

It's hard to compete with the titles listed thus far but I love the ending to 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'. The cinematography and accompanying music are perfect. I also really like the ending of Carlito's Way, it's very emotionally intense.

filmguy

I loved the ending to Reqieum for a Dream.

As for ELECTION, I finally saw that movie on Bravo! and it had me dying laughing. It should have been nominated for a Oscar. I love towards the end where the teacher is walking down the street and he see's the black limosuine carrying his old student. With a milk-shake in his hand, he launches it at the limo and runs. Man that is funny!

TheAllPurposeNothing

The last line of Willie wonka is this:

Wonka: But Charlie..just remember what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he ever wanted.

Charlie: What?

Wonka: He lived happily ever after.

So, I"m a softie..whadya want for nothing? A rubber biscuit?

andyh

Great response everybody ... I'd still nominate Eat, Drink, Man, Woman as my all-time perfect ending. In just two words, and about five seconds, Ang Lee wraps up the entire movie - and goes to credits.

Breathtaking FINAL SECONDS add massively to how much I remember a film.

So, for me, it's:

#1 Eat, Drink, Man, Woman
#2 Runaway Train
#3 The Wedding Banquet
#4 Field of Dreams.

The very last image of all of the above stay with you for ever.

Two of the above are Ang Lee films. If you watch the very end of Sense & Sensibility, you'll see a hand toss come coins into the air. This is a perfect Ang Lee ending. Unfortunately, someone at the studio tacked on a middle distance shot of the crowd celebrating ... I'm dead sure Lee filmed the coins intending them to be his ending, as it'd have been just exactly the right way to finish the film ...

martin q. blank

Definitely Magnolia--one of the best endings ever

The Graduate
Full Metal Jacket
Dazed and Confused
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (depressing)
Chasing Amy
Clerks (original ending)
Usual Suspects
Wild Bunch
A.I. (I really like the very end of this, when Teddy climbs up on the bed and just sits there--very depressing, at least to me)
and Grosse Pointe Blank, being as it's my favorite movie.

The only good part of Blair Witch Project was the ending.

filmguy

I agree on Magnolia - when it rains, it rains!

As for A.I., I felt the same way, sad and emotional, nontheless, I liked the ending as well.

tboogie

What was it? I forgot. The first time I saw this one I hated it, but there is a lot of meaning in it. I also agree with the Sixth Sense. I thought that was so clever, and I never expected it.

lorenzoh

Two-Lane Blacktop I'd like all films shown in theaters to end this way.

Aguirre

Has anyone said Monty Python and the Holy Grail?

MrBEAViS

Were you paying attention? How could you forget a line like that?

Sparrow

Last of the Mohicans - intense. I wouldn't call it perfect, but
I did leave that theater impacted by the sheer intensity of
the ending.

Elizabeth - I liked the way they cleaned up loose ends

Life Is Beautiful - This one was absolutely great! I felt that the way this ended was not necessarily surprising, but very
effective. I felt a tear (more like a fountain) flowing afterwards.

berserker37

This is an interesting thread - great endings are all too rare...
The only new one I have (unless I missed it in the thread) is Run Lola Run (it always reminds me of Magnolia).
Speaking of which, Magnolia...
And I'd also vote for:
Eyes Wide Shut (good ending to a movie I didn't like that much)
Election
The Straight Story
American Beauty
Das Boot (it blew me away the first time I watched it)
Memento (best movie so far this year)
Limbo (perfect ending to a very interesting movie)
Searching for Bobby Fischer (just watched it again - a great film)

Kal-El

The Usual Suspects
Se7en
Empire Strikes Back
Eyes Wide Shut
A.I.
Cast Away
All the Superman movies - that last shot when he looks into the camera and smiles before flying out of sight is my absolute favorite.

grunter

The end of "Sid & Nancy" could possibly be the best ending ever in the history of film. It just nails that dark melancholy feeling that simply has to be in a film IMHO - somewhere - in order for me to connect with the material I'm seeing.

In fact I tend to pop the DVD in just to see that final bittersweet reunion: Sid busting out a silly little dance with the ghettoblaster children and then, out of the mists comes that big yellow taxi. The door opens - and its Her, grinning lopsidedly with smeary lipstick and all her frayed thrift shop couture. The haunting Pray For Rain synth line starts up, Sid steps in and they're gone. Just like that. God I love that scene.

I'm also partial to Peter Greenway endings (at least to his earlier non-self-parodying films). "Drowning by Numbers" and "The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover" come to mind.

"Cannibal."

I also love the despair and longing that Gus Van Sandt brings to "My Own Private Idaho." Makes me miss River Phoenix's talent all the more.

Too bad neither "Drowning by Numbers" nor "My Own Private Idaho" are available on DVD. Couldn't the materials for like 10,000 copies of those unsold "Charlie's Angels" discs that sit on the end-caps of any given Best Buy have been set aside to make DVD pressings of either of these films?

tboogie

Yes, but it's been over a year since I saw the movie. Help me out.

Kal-El

Let's just say it's a certain "4-letter" word that we can't post here without getting in trouble.

0ne

Animal House had a great ending

Star Wars: Empire Strike back was marvelous

Fargo

6th sense

Fight Club

Rocky

Gone with the wind

Casablanca

lots of others, cant think atm

Daveg27

1. American Graffiti (one of my all time fav movies)
2. The Terminator (NOT T2!!) had a pretty good ending, not the best but it was pretty good.
3. Dr. Strangelove "Mein Fuhrer! I can walk!"

Some of my other favorites have already been mentioned.

Jocko6577

A lot of good ones posted so far.

Usual Suspects
Shawshank Redemption

But, I would say one of the best is:

Diggstown

Great ending.

hallospaceboy

great endings......


john carpenters' the thing

revenge, with kevin costner, underrated IMHO....

johnny handsome, great modern film noir.....


all have perefect endings!!

movielib

You mean "What?"

Oh wait, were you talking about Eyes Wide Shut or Birdy?

Dr. DVD

Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome-Love the shot of MAx alone in the wastelands walking into the sunset. Great way to end the series.

Heat- and the music, gets to me.

Gladiator-same as above, just change the stars.

American Beauty-Despite what some may think, it's a very happy ending in terms of the message.

Jaws-peddling toward shore with gentle music, great end to thrill ride.

X-Men-personal reasons

Full Metal Jacket-Paint it Black is perfect for the credits


and the best one...CLERKS!-Not the original one either, I like the one with the music by Alice in Chains and Dante having a slight smile on his face.

hypeiv

i am prolly the only one but i love the ending to lock stock and two smoking barrels

andyh

Agree with hallospaceboy ... the very last line of The Thing is just perfect. But I always hate it when it ends like that - maybe they're still there, waiting ....

But in all these 1,500 views, isn't there anybody who appreciates the ending of RUNAWAY TRAIN like I do? It's just a magnificent combination of imagery/music/dramatic impact.

Or maybe it's because I like trains :-)

And if only the original The Vanishing ("Spoorloos" 1988) had ended ... well, you know where (if you've seen it).

I love this thread, particularly since it's one of mine. Anybody fancy doing an Ultimate List of Great Endings taken from this thread?

Skywa|ker

Andyh...


I'd have to agree... the ending of Runaway Train was superb. I'd forgotten about that, as it's been about 15 years since I saw it last, but yes, it made me feel a little sad, a little happy, and at the same time very emotionally satisfying. Hard to describe the feeling... you just need to watch this movie, all the way through, with no interruptions, and you'll know what I mean.