How much should an ending impact what you think of a movie? In the grand scheme of things it’s at most a few minutes of an at least 90 minute story, so everything that leads up to it should be arguably more important. But we all know just how powerful a movie ending can be — it can create a sense of euphoria as you leave the theater, either adding an exclamation point to a great story that came before it or saving (to some degree) a mediocre or bad movie; obviously a bad one can have the opposite effect.
So what are the best movie endings of all time? I’m offering my two cents on the question with my top 25 favorite movie endings.
The biggest things that I took into account when considering a movie’s ending was 1) can I recall it even if I haven’t seen the movie in a while, and 2) it needs to be the last thing that we see in the movie; a movie can have a great final twist, but if it goes on for 15 more minutes than that’s not really it’s ending.
Some honorable mentions that just missed out on my top 25 include a pair of 2024 favorites in Wicked and The Substance, as well as classics like The Sixth Sense, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Chinatown and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, plus one of my favorite comedy endings, Dodgeball: A True Underdog story (the Chuck Norris joke gets me every time).
Feel free to share some of your favorite movie endings in the comments, but here is my official top 25 of best movie endings of all time (obviously SPOILERS ahead).
25. The Great Train Robbery (1903)
The Great Train Robbery is one of the most notable narrative titles from these early days of cinema (which was only eight years old at the time). The 11-minute long movie tells the story of a gang of bandits robbing a train and ultimately being killed by a posse chasing them. However, the last thing you see in the movie is one of the bandits pointing a gun directly at the camera and firing a couple of shots. It’s an iconic stylistic choice from the nascent days of cinema, one that Martin Scorsese would pay homage to in Goodfellas.
24. Thelma & Louise (1991)
Thelma & Louise is one of the all-time great road trip movies. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are excellent together as two friends that commit murder in self defense and use it as an opportunity to break free from their trapped lives. However, that sets off a hunt for the titular pair, leading to a massive chase scene in the final moments of the movie. Rather than be captured, the two hold hands and drive off a cliff, ensuring that they'll never give up their new found freedom. The moment has been parodied more than a few times (a testament to its staying power), but it still resonates whenever you watch the movie.
23. The Green Knight (2021)
The Green Knight’s ending plays out on screen the idea of our lives flashing before our eyes. But instead of it being everything that came before, it is everything to come. As Gaiwan (Dev Patel) finally faces the titular mystical knight to have his head chopped off as per the fateful bargain he made, we see Gaiwan run away and experience what life has to offer, including glory and tragedy. It’s an epic montage, but ultimately it was just a vision. Gaiwan realizes the Green Knight’s punishment is his fate, and he bravely faces it. It’s a master class of editing (the montage is incredible) and thematic storytelling.
22. Se7en (1995)
The Se7en ending is a bit tricky within my parameters, because after its iconic “What’s in the box scene?” there’s still a whole other scene. The real final scene takes place in the aftermath of Detective Mills (Brad Pitt) killing John Doe (Kevin Spacey) after it’s revealed that Mills’ wife’s (Gwyneth Paltrow) head is what’s in the box. As Mills is being arrested, Detective Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) tells his police chief (R. Lee Ermey) that “he’ll be around,” suggesting he won’t be retiring as was previously planned. In narration, Sommerset says, “Ernest Hemingway once wrote, ‘The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.’ I agree with the second part.” "What's in the box" is more iconic, but Se7en’s real ending is the perfect conclusion to its story.
21. Inception (2010)
I had a few Christopher Nolan movies I was considering for this list, particularly Memento and The Prestige. But as cliche as it might be I had to go with Inception’s ending and the question of whether or not the top falls, proving if Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) made it back to his children or if he’s still dreaming. Many on the internet theorize that the top was a misdirection by Nolan and there are other signs pointing to that answer that I won’t get into here, but just judging the actual moment it’s a great one. Cobb doesn’t wait to see what happens with the top, so whatever its result, after everything he’s been through, this is the world he has chosen to occupy, and whether you believe it’s real or a dream makes the ending either beautiful or tragic.
20. Rocky (1976)
Your typical sports movie features a happy ending — the underdogs win the big game and get their moment of glory. Why Rocky’s ending is so memorable (in addition to Sylvester Stallone just screaming “Adrian!”) is because he loses the fight to Apollo Creed. But that’s not what Rocky was after. Rocky’s main goal in the fight was to prove that he wasn’t a bum, to both himself and to all those who doubted or overlooked him. He did that by both knocking down Creed and going the lasting all 15 rounds. Rocky may have lost, but what he does win is as good as any championship, and no one can deny it's a triumphant ending.
19. The Godfather (1972)
These next couple of picks actually have similar endings based around what their directors are telling us with their final shots. In terms of The Godfather, after Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) takes care of all family business, his wife Kay (Diane Keaton) sees him in his office, being adorned by his subordinates. One of Michael’s associates then closes the door on Kay, with the final image being of her being shut out. That image symbolizes that while Michael has now created a divide between him and his family as he takes on the role of the Godfather, something we would see play out in greater detail in the sequels. But that outcome is perfectly encapsulated in this final image.
18. The Searchers (1956)
John Ford and John Wayne’s The Searchers’ ending also revolves around the closing of a door, in fact the entire ending plays within a door frame. After years of searching for his kidnapped niece, Ethan (Wayne) finally brings her home. Everyone but Ethan embraces and enters into the home. Instead, Ethan, who is haunted by what he has lost and what he has done, walks away from the home, back toward the wilderness, destined to wander and be an outsider even from those he loves. This is one of the most iconic shots in movie history and it is one of the best examples the idea of show, don’t tell. Not a word of dialogue comes during this final scene, but we know the fate of our flawed hero.
17. Get Out (2017)
Jordan Peele’s Get Out manages to pull off the high wire act of being both a wildly entertaining thriller and a close-to-the-bone reflection of our own society. That holds true in the movie’s brilliant ending. After breaking free from the Armitage house, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is choking Rose in the street (Allison Williams) when flashing blue and red lights show up and audiences’ stomachs drop. Thankfully it’s not the cops, but Chris’ best friend Rod (Lil Rel Howery) who came to rescue Chris; he had a car with sirens because, of course, he’s “TS mother f***ing A.” There were alternate endings that gave the movie a darker ending, but we’re happy Peele went with this one.
16. The Red Shoes (1948)
The Red Shows is an all-time classic set in the world of ballet, where a young dancer, Victoria (Moira Shearer), has to choose between her love for a young composer, Julian, (Marius Goring) and the pursuit of ballet stardom with the demanding leader of the ballet, Boris (Anton Walbrook). Ultimately, Boris pushes Victoria to a breaking point, forcing her to throw herself in front of a train. More people may be familiar with the ending of Black Swan, which stars Natalie Portman and has a similar ending of a performer pushed to the brink and ultimately taking their own life. Both are great and show the tragic cost of being obsessed with perfection, but I think The Red Shoes edges Black Swan out.
15. Casino Royale (2006)
By 2006, James Bond had been appearing on the big screen for more than 40 years in various iterations. Casino Royale was the beginning of a new era, with Daniel Craig in the lead role. In this first movie, the filmmakers decided to subvert many classic Bond tropes, or at least making them wait. After Vesper Lynd’s (Eva Green) death, she gives Bond one last gift — the info of the man behind the nefarious plots, Mr. White (Jesper Christensen). The movie ends with Bond capturing Mr. White by shooting him in the leg, then walking up slowly in a dashing suit, holding an assault rifle, and uttering the iconic “Bond, James Bond” introduction. And with that, a new era of James Bond was born.
14. Iron Man (2008)
Iron Man also ends with a character making a declaration of who they are, and its impact in the movie landscape was even bigger than Bond’s. After defeating Obadiah Stone (Jeff Bridges), Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is pushed to deny he was involved. He gives it his best shot, but the billionaire maverick can’t help but play into the role, announcing to a full press contingent that he is indeed Iron Man. It’s the moment that made RDJ’s Tony the focal point of the MCU and is so on brand for the character. Throw in the post-credit scene where we are also introduced to Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, who teases the Avengers, and we got not one but two great endings that set up a two-decade run of movies.
13. Some Like It Hot (1959)
Billy Wilder knew how to end his movie’s on a high note, which is why he is one of two directors with multiple entries on this list. In his comedy classic Some Like It Hot, after disguising themselves as women to hide from a dangerous mob boss, protagonists Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemon) manage to escape with the help of the oblivious but wealthy divorcee Osgood (Joe E. Brown), who has been romantically pursuing Jerry while he was disguised as Daphne. In the final moments Jerry tries to end things with Osgood without revealing his disguise. But it's no use, Jerry just has to admit that he’s a man, to which Osgood simply responds, “well, nobody’s perfect,” suggesting he doesn’t care about this reveal. Nobody may be perfect, but this ending is.
12. Whiplash (2014)
Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash is a never-ending tense ride as jazz instructor Fletcher (JK Simmons) torments his students, in particular young drummer Andrew (Miles Teller), who dreams of greatness but struggles in Fletcher's hostile environment. After Andrew gives an anonymous report about Fletcher’s abuse both end up leaving the school. But Fletcher gets his revenge, purposefully sabotaging Andrew when he asks him to play at a professional performance. But Andrew doesn’t back down; he hijacks the concert and shows off his talent. Seeing Andrew’s talent on full display, Fletcher and Andrew begin to feed off each other. The final drum solo is one of the more exhilarating finales I can recall.
11. Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
After spending years building up their roster of heroes and the backstory of the infinity stones, Avengers: Infinity War paid off with an epic superhero movie that culminated in the mighty heroes facing off against Thanos (Josh Brolin). And they lost. Not only did they lose, but Thanos wiped half of them out (and half of all beings in the galaxy). The final moments of the movie see a number of the heroes dusted and those remaining realizing in horror what has happened. Meanwhile, Thanos smirks after accomplishing his mission. Of course we knew that the heroes would get their chance at redemption (and that Marvel wasn’t killing off half of its roster for good), but in the moment it was a shocking and bold stroke that ranks among the best Marvel moments, and certainly endings, in large part because they effectively pulled off their years-long plan.
10. Toy Story 3 (2010)
Toy Story is one of the things that defined my childhood. I don’t know how many times I watched the first two movies as a kid, but needless to say it was a lot. When Toy Story 3 came out, I found my personal life resembling that of Andy’s — he was heading off to college, starting a new chapter in his life, while I was about to enter into my senior year of college, on the precipice of adulthood. Toy Story 3 goes for the heartstrings a few times, including the bait and switch that Woody, Buzz and the gang may meet a fateful end, but for me there’s few endings as beautifully poignant as Woody saying “so long, partner” as Andy drives away. It was more than just an ending of a movie, for many of my generation it was a representation of the end of an era of our lives on screen.
9. Prisoners (2013)
There aren’t many endings more haunting than that of Prisoners. Denis Villeneuve’s dark thriller focuses on the search for a missing pair of girls. While Jake Gyllenhaal’s Detective Loki attempts to find the girls through legitimate means, one of the fathers, Keller (Hugh Jackman), desperately takes things into his own hands. His actions ultimately get him trapped underground, with only a whistle to try and get people’s attention. After Loki rescues the girls he hears a faint whistle, or is it the wind? The movie cuts to black, leaving us to wonder if Loki is going to rescue Keller or if the father is going to be trapped in his new prison. In terms of ambiguous endings, this one left its mark.
8. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Stanley Kubrick is not a comedic director, but he brilliantly satirized the world’s governments in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. The whole movie revolves around the US president trying to prevent nuclear annihilation after a rogue general sets off an altercation that could cause a chain reaction. But these aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer trying to save the day and, like Avengers: Infinity War, Kubrick doesn’t hold back and actually ends the movie with the destruction of the world from nuclear bombs. The final images are of nuclear explosions to the tune of “We’ll Meet Again” by Vera Lynn. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer offers a contemplative take on this idea, but satire is often the sharpest knife, which is why the Dr. Strangelove ending is so memorable.
7. Before Sunset (2004)
Let’s get back to some happy endings. And what could be happier than for a couple destined to be together finally achieving that. After spending an incredible night together and planning to meet six months later in Before Sunrise, it actually took nine years for Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and Celine’s (Julie Delpy) to continue in Before Sunset. But even though Jesse is now married, their connection remains just as strong nearly a decade later. After walking through Paris and reminiscing, Celine brings Jesse to her apartment and sings some Nina Simone and playfully tells Jesse he's going to miss his plane taking him home, to which Jesse simply says he knows. It's a decision that despite the challenges, their not going to let another shot at their love slip away. And like that, this couple — for my money the best movie couple of all time — finally gets together.
6. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Throughout The Usual Suspects criminal Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) tells Detective Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) about the crime he and his fellow conspirators were hired to do by the mysterious and dangerous criminal mastermind Keyser Soze. Ultimately, Kint makes bail and leaves the police station, at which point Kujan notices that details from Kint’s story came from items in the room they were in. A faxed sketch of Soze arrives, looking like Kint. Kujan attempts to track down Kint, but he has disappeared. It’s an all-time twist and character reveal.
5. La La Land (2016)
In addition to Wilder, Chazelle is the other director with two endings in my top 25, the second being for La La Land. This one is bitter sweet. After following the ups and downs of Mia (Emma Stone) and Sebastian’s (Ryan Gosling) relationship throughout the movie, they reach a crossroads with their future up in the air. The movie then jumps ahead five years, with Mia a successful actress and married to someone other than Sebastian. During a night out, they randomly find themselves at a jazz club that Sebastian owns. Sebastian spots Mia in the crowd, which sets off an extended dance dream sequnce of what their happy ending might have looked like. However, in the real world, they each give themselves a knowing smile. They may not be together, but they each achieved their dream and were positively affected by each other. Beautiful.
4. Planet of the Apes (1968)
The greatest twist ending in movie history belongs to the original The Planet of the Apes. For the entire movie we are led to believe that astronaut Taylor (Charlton Heston) crash landed on an Earth-like planet where talking apes rule over a speechless version of mankind. But there are secrets on this planet that are slowly peeled back leading to the ultimate reveal. Setting out on his own with his companion Nova (Linda Harrison), Taylor eventually comes upon something that shocks him — the head of the Statue of Liberty sticking along the shoreline. Taylor realizes this is in fact Earth thousands of years into the future, where apparently humanity destroyed itself with their nuclear weapons, paving the way for the intelligent apes to take over. The quality of the sequels would diminish greatly until Andy Serkis' spin on the franchise, but this ending will help forever keep The Planet of the Apes as one of the great sci-fi movies.
3. Sunset Boulevard. (1950)
It’s incredible to think that the same person that made Some Like It Hot also made Sunset Boulevard, but as I said, Billy Wilder was a master storyteller. Here, he chronicles silent movie star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), exiled into obscurity but determined (if disillusioned) to make a major comeback but who ultimately kills screenwriter (William Holden), who she formed a questionable relationship with. Desmond suffers a mental breakdown, but when she hears there are cameras in her lobby (news cameras to capture her arrest), her disillusionment leads her to believe that these are here part of a film crew for her movie comeback. Her uttering the classic final line “All right, Mr. Demille. I’m ready for my close-up” as she slowly moves toward the camera until it fades to black is one of the most enduring ending images of all time.
2. Casablanca (1943)
Speaking of iconic final lines, I’ve previously written about just how great Casablanca’s finale line is, but the entire final scene is perfect. There we see Humprehy Bogart’s Rick deliver his iconic monologue to Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) to convince her they must give up their love for the greater good, we get to see the Nazi Major Strasser (Conrad Veidt) meet a just end and Rick and Captain Renault walk into the fog as they set off to join the fight against tyranny and begin their “beautiful friendship.” I love every second of Casablanca, but the ending is truly one of the greatest scenes ever put to film.
1. Cinema Paradiso (1988)
And yet, I’m going outside of Hollywood with my pick for the greatest movie ending of all time, putting Italy’s Cinema Paradiso in the top spot. Giuseppe Tornatore’s movie is a love letter to the power of movies, as it tells the story of a movie director’s childhood growing up in a small village and his relationship with the projectionist, Alfredo (Philippe Noiret) of their local cinema. The movie begins with the director learning that his friend and mentor has passed, but it ends revealing that Alfredo left him one last gift, a reel of film that features all of the cut romantic scenes that their local village priest forced them to remove in the name of “decency.” The gesture not only speaks to the bond these two hand, but it also reaffirms the magic of movies and the feelings they can conjure. Pulling off that double feat, I just had to put Cinema Paradiso as the greatest movie ending of all time.
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