I was just reading thru the Joy Luck Club / Eat Drink Man Woman thread below, but it lost me when it went off topic into a discussion of the role of the male in Asian society etc etc.

But it made me remember what a STUNNING ending Ang Lee crafted onto Eat Drink Man Woman. The very last frames wrap up the entire 90 mins that have gone before ... in just two simple words.

He did it again at the very, very end of The Wedding Banquet - the very last sight you see of the old Taiwanese father, as he progresses through the airport to board his plane (to go home and die), is breathtaking and so, so beautiful. I will not reveal it, but you will never forget the imagery.

So, what films have just Perfect 10 endings - and why?
Here's three for starters, in no order because they're all joint first.

- Eat Drink Man Woman ... two words, eyes fill up instantly
- The Wedding Banquet ... so graceful, so unexpected
- Runaway Train ... anyone who's seen the ending will know how powerful that final shot of the train in the snow is

The Shawshank Redemption has a great ending, one of my all time favorites

While I agree that it is a good ending, I would have preferred it if Darabont had cut the at the very end.

Amadeus has a wonderful ending.

Ah jeez, most of my favorite films have good endings. That is probably a major reason why they are my favorite films.

i loved that part.

but anyway, i thought gladiator had a great ending. although, i do have to agree with JustinS that most of my favorites have great endings which is one of the reasons why they're my favorites.

There is a movie that I just saw called Time and Tide which I thought had a perfect ending. I definatley wouldn't call it in the top ten but this definatley made the movie for me.
Also, Another one with the absoulute perfect ending that I would call the best was Sixth Sense. I have yet to see another movie that through me like that one did. I had it all figured out and then, WHAM!

Star Wars: A New Hope is one of my favorite endings. The most powerful scene is just after Chewbacca roars to the crowd and everyone starts clapping and Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and all the rest of the character look at the crowd. Awesome! Brings a tear to me eye everytime I see it. I can't wait to buy the Trilogy on DVD. It's the last item on my list of DVDs to buy and ranks up there with The Goonies and The Neverending Story as the most wanted movies I want on DVD.

Another very good ending is the twist plot of Fight Club. I was like "no way!" when I found out the truth.

Only one comes to mind: WILD STRAWBERRIES

The Godfather III. When I watched it first time, I rewound a couple times to see it again. There was such depth and beauty and utter sadness to that scene. And it's stuck with me like no other scene. I can see everything, right down to the colors. I absolutely adore it.

Leaving Las Vegas - Not all endings have to happy or uplifting.

Castaway.

I had a hard time with the ending at first....but it really grew on me. I loved how it ended.

Edited to add: Casablanca....classic ending!

THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
FIGHT CLUB
AMADEUS
SE7EN
DO THE THING (One of my fav)
ROCKY
BLUE COLLAR
HEAT (Best ending ever!)


QUESTION: At the end of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

Definitely "Shawshank Redemption", and the ending of "Traffic" was very good too.

Eyes Wide Shut-great closing line-just one word

I'll back you on that one. Cast Away has a terrific ending.

Sleuth (1972).

Answer:
Found it here at the bottom of the cast and crew link.

Most of them are downers:

THE NIGHT PORTER
THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
ANGEL HEART
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
THE NINTH CONFIGURATION
CITIZEN KANE
THE THIRD MAN
THE SEVENTH SEAL
THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
HALLOWEEN
A PURE FORMALITY
RASHOMON
THE CONVERSATION
FIREWORKS

I forgot, how could I:

ROSEMARY'S BABY

my current favorite is Limbo. the ending perfectly reinforces Sayles' major themes.

Braveheart has a great ending, IMHO.



Close Encounters of the Third Kind also has one of the best third acts in film history.

Drexl is right on my wavelength - I mean the exact ending, where you get a line of dialogue, an image or an event that immediately precedes the closing credits.

Check out Birdy, by Alan Parker, as a good example. Again I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it, but with a single word, Parker's hero seals the entire film in an instant.

Endings like this can be criticised for being an over-convenient, shorthand way to finish something that's lasted almost two hours ... and often this criticism is fair. But Birdy's a good example, as is Eyes Wide Shut.

Any more? I just love it when a director really delivers the goods at the end. Breaking my own rule a bit, the original (Dutch / French) version of The Vanishing has an absolute KILLER ending, although there's a brief coda that softens the blow right afterwards.

Some of my favorites...

The Accidental Tourist
Broadcast News
Halloween
Jaws
Raiders of the Losk Ark
Raising Arizona

Some very good ones identified here.

I would add FIELD OF DREAMS. Seen it many times, but it still gets me ... right here.

BREAKING THE WAVES. It totally blew me away. The most enchanting and touching ending I've ever seen!

Also, the ending of Hitchcock's FRENZY and NOTORIOUS are classics. And don't forget Tony Perkins' classic ending line, "I would never harm a fly" in PSYCHO...it sent chills up my spine.