My 21 Favorite Movie Endings of All Time

Roll credits.

Some movies can be broken by the ending. Some can be made. Others can just be great movies with fantastic endings. All of those are in this list. I wanted to do something a little bit different with my next ranking, so I thought it would be fun to rank my favorite endings of all time. I really enjoyed writing this ranking, because there are some movies that I have not talked about that much on my blog that appear on this list. That said, here are my 21 favorite movie endings of all time.

21. Being the Shepherd (Pulp Fiction)

Pulp Fiction's genius lies mostly in the dialogue, but Quentin Tarantino wraps a nice bow on his crazy masterpiece by bringing Jules and Vincent to the diner that is shown in the beginning of the season. We unexpectedly see the rest of the sequence play out with some of the most crackling dialogue in the film. Jules tries to "be the shepherd" and turns the robbery around on Ringo before walking out of the diner with Vincent. Badass.

20. Seeing About a Girl (Good Will Hunting)

Speaking of incredible writing, Good Will Hunting consistently delivers memorable moments and great lines of dialogue. All of that comes here as Will realizes he made a mistake in breaking up with Skyler, so he goes and chases after her. Chucky gleefully finds that Will has left his house and Sean gets a letter from Will saying he "had to go see about a girl". This incredible ending is capped off by Robin Williams's great improvisation as he mutters "he stole my line" and walks back into his house, smiling. A fantastic, heart-warming ending to a great, great drama.

19. Michael Becomes Godfather (The Godfather)

The arc of Michael Corleone is capped off in a truly menacing way as he kills Carlo for his involvement in Sonny's death. A hysterical Connie comes and confronts Michael for killing his husband, but Michael denies any role in it. He then lies to his own wife and closes the door on Kay, preventing her from any involvement in the family business. As he closes the door, the audience realizes that Michael is not Vito; he is much, much worse. This horrifying revelation sets the stage for Michael's turn to true evil in The Godfather Part II, but this beautiful ending caps off the classic crime saga in unsettling, ominous fashion.

18. The Departed (The Departed)

For the entire movie, you are wondering "Why is this movie called The Departed?" That answer is given to you by the incredibly shocking ending. A chain of deaths leads to what seems like a tragic ending; Billy Costigan is dead and Colin Sullivan has won. Really the only two major protagonists in the film are gone...until Colin opens the door to his apartment and gets shot by Mark Wahlberg's Sergeant Dignam. Not only is this a great payoff for Dignam's character, but it works perfectly as a darkly comedic wrap to Scorsese's fantastic crime saga.

17. Having An Old Friend for Dinner (The Silence of the Lambs)

Hannibal Lecter is the most famous part of The Silence of the Lambs, but he is mostly absent from the third act of the film. You've almost forgotten about him until Clarice receives a phone call and you hear Anthony Hopkins's haunting voice; "Have the lambs stopped screaming, Clarice?" Lecter promises Clarice that he won't go after her before hanging up with a classic line that puts a perfect capper on one of my personal favorite movies.

16. The Dance (Avengers: Endgame)

How do you perfectly wrap up a 22-film saga? Well, Endgame is how. After Thanos is defeated and Iron Man's funeral is done, Captain America travels back in time to return the Infinity Stones. Much to the audience's surprise, Cap stays in the 40s to live out his life with Peggy Carter. In 2011, at the end of Captain America: The First Avenger, Steve promises a rain check on his dance with Peggy as he crashes into the ice to freeze for 70 years. The final shot of Marvel's Infinity Saga is the dance that we've been waiting to see for so long. It is perfect.

15. A Watchful Protector (The Dark Knight)

My favorite movie of all time has, of course, an awesome ending. Jim Gordon gives an incredibly badass speech that encapsulates Batman's character beautifully while Hans Zimmer's pulse-pounding score plays in the background. Bruce runs from Gotham's police to become the "hero that Gotham deserves but not the one it needs", wrapping up The Dark Knight in an absolutely electric way. Gordon's final speech fits into the themes of the film while also just being a fantastic monologue that leaves the adrenaline pumping.

14. 19 Years Later (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2)

I adore Harry Potter, and I think that the epilogue is done beautifully. The final line of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the book is "The scar had not pained him in nineteen years. All was well." This scene (and specifically the shot above) translates that feeling perfectly. Harry promises his son Albus that everything will be okay even if he is put in Slytherin, and then proudly watches his kids depart for Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione by his side. John Williams's Leaving Hogwarts plays in the background, providing a powerful and emotionally satisfying end for The Boy Who Lived (please never make a Cursed Child film and ruin this ending).

13. I Drink Your Milkshake (There Will Be Blood)

This is truly one of the craziest endings of all time. Daniel Plainview has become a reclusive madman who has given in to all of the greed that he has struggled with throughout the movie. He finally lets loose his hatred of Eli Sunday by making him admit that he is a false prophet and does not believe all of the religious bull that he has been preaching throughout the film. Daniel Day-Lewis secures his Oscar win with pure, unbred insanity as he taunts Eli before beating his head in with a bowling pin. Daniel's butler comes down to discover the horrific scene before Daniel gives a great final "I'm finished!" to end the film. Boom.

12. The Whistle (Prisoners)

Ambiguous endings can be really hard to pull off, but when done right, they are extremely effective. After killing Holly and saving Anna, Detective Loki wanders back to the scene of the crime, unaware that Keller is trapped in Holly's yard pit. As the audience, we know that Anna left her whistle in the pit, and we hear it quietly blowing over the wind. Loki turns, acknowledging that he hears it too...and then we cut to credits. The implication is that Keller is saved, but the ambiguity leaves it to your imagination to decide whether or not that actually happens. It is an awesome and incredibly memorable way to finish off Prisoners, and I absolutely love it.

11. See What Happens (The Thing)

Speaking of ambiguous endings, The Thing has a great one. After seemingly blowing up The Thing, R.J. MacReady sits besides the remains of the station in the freezing cold. Childs, the only one who was remaining from the crew, comes up to MacReady and sits down. Instead of fighting him and making him prove that he is not The Thing, MacReady just calmly tells him that they're going to sit around and see what happens. The film ends before we see whether or not Childs is The Thing, once again leaving it up to your imagination as to what happens next. I think this ending is so awesome and speaks to the coolness of MacReady's character.

10. And Like That...He's Gone (The Usual Suspects)

My personal favorite twist ending of all time is The Usual Suspects. After Verbal Kint's bail is posted and he leaves, Agent Kujan begins to look around his office. To his horror, he discovers that Kint was simply using objects around his office to fabricate the story; the entire movie we just watched was a lie and Verbal Kint is really Keyser Söze. The montage as we realize the truth is edited to perfection and serves as an unsettling but awesome way to close out this mystery.

9. The Horror (Apocalypse Now)

Apocalypse Now is a horror film - I will make that argument over and over again. It is a fantastic depiction of insanity with the backdrop of the Vietnam War. Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz is built up as this terrifying figure...and he is, but not in the way that you would expect. Brando gives a riveting speech to Martin Sheen's Willard as he explains his worldview and why he was driven to insanity by the evils of war. After Willard slices Kurtz up with a machete, he lays down and says his final words; "the horror, the horror." Brando's quiet whisper is so effective and so terrifying. The final shot shows Willard's face over an image of burning war as we hear Kurtz's words repeated, effectively displaying that Willard may have fallen to insanity after witnessing the horror, the horror.

8. Good Afternoon, Good Evening, and Goodnight (The Truman Show)

The Truman Show is an effective psychological journey that makes us really, really want Truman Burbank to escape the confines of his television life. As he reaches the end of the enormous set, he hears the voice of Christof (the show's creator), asking him to stay. Truman responds with his iconic catchphrase before walking out of the door to live out life in the real world. It is a crime that Jim Carrey was not nominated for an Oscar for this performance, because he gives a fantastic performance throughout, but especially in this scene. This ending is so emotionally satisfying and leaves us on a hopeful, happy note that is just beautiful.

7. The Empire Defeated (Return of the Jedi)

Initially, this list had twenty endings, but I had to throw this one in here and push it to twenty-one. The final forty minutes of Return of the Jedi are basically perfect, and the ending is done beautifully. I love the ambiguity of the title of the film: it's called Return of the Jedi, but the Jedi being referred to might not be Luke...it may be Anakin. That's how I've always interpreted it, because Vader's final redemption paired with the amazing destruction of the Death Star is just fantastic. Cap everything off with one of my favorite moments in Star Wars (and maybe in movies in general) as we see Anakin's ghost appear alongside Yoda and Obi-Wan, and you've got one of the greatest endings to one of the greatest trilogies of all time.

6. Luke Loses (The Empire Strikes Back)

The Empire Strikes Back is credited with the first ever "heroes lose" ending, but this conclusion receives more credit than what that implies. Yes, our heroes lose, but we also have an absolutely electric action sequence with the lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader before getting the ultimate reveal about their relationship. I love the final moments of Luke attempting to accept the reality that Vader is his father. The film leaves off on a darker but hopeful note as Luke, Leia, 3PO, and R2 look out into the galaxy, ready for the fight ahead.

5. The Blip (Avengers: Infinity War)

Speaking of heroes losing...Infinity War was the biggest gut-punch in recent memory. The Empire Strikes Back has our heroes lose, yes, but Infinity War kills off half of our heroes. The shock of Thanos's snap is truly unmatched. Nobody went into Infinity War expecting Spider-Man and Black Panther to die. But they do. The film leaves off on a bleakly poetic note as Thanos does what he said he was going to do after he snapped: watching the sun set on a grateful universe. This is, in my opinion, the best cliffhanger of all time as well as one of the most shocking endings in movies. I absolutely love it.

4. I Could Have Done More (Schindler's List)

This is a different type of ending that I was contemplating even putting on here. Schindler's List is a difficult film to talk about, because it is such a horrific and visceral experience. The weight of the Holocaust is felt throughout the entire film. It is so upsetting and disturbing, but the ending is a bit of a change from the rest of the film. After rescuing thousands of Jews, Oskar Schindler looks around and realizes that he could've saved more if he had sold more of his belongings. This acknowledgement that human life is valued above all else causes him to break down in an absolutely heart-breaking scene that boasts a beautiful performance from Liam Neeson. The thousands Schindler saved rally around him and comfort him before the film cuts back to color and the real people that he saved lay flowers on the real Schindler's grave. It is a devastating ending, but there's also a glimmer of hope and humanity that leaves you feeling all kinds of emotional. No matter the emotions, however, it is just the perfect ending to a horrific but beautiful film.

3. The Totem (Inception)

Inception is widely regarded as the ultimate ambiguous ending. We know that Cobb's totem is the spinning top; if he's in reality, the top will fall, but if he's dreaming, it will spin forever. After returning to his family and seeing his kids, Cobb spins the top and walks away. We cut to credits before we see whether it falls or not, leaving the audience with one of the most debated questions in cinematic history: was Cobb dreaming or did he actually reunite with his kids? Regardless of the answer, Cobb is reunited with his family, capping off the whole journey of the film. This ending is fantastic because it is both emotionally satisfying while also leaving a great, ambiguous question lingering.

2. The Box (Se7en)

"What's in the box???" This is, in my opinion, the best directed sequence possibly of all time. David Fincher masterfully builds the tension as we slowly realize with dawning horror what John Doe's endgame was. Morgan Freeman's desperate performance combined with Brad Pitt's descent into insanity because of what Doe has done is just so incredibly tragic. There are very few scenes that make me feel sick to my stomach, but this ending tends to do it. It ties up the themes of Se7en perfectly as we see the darkest parts of this cynical world that Fincher is presenting to us. I adore this ending. I think it is a perfect example of the things that you can accomplish with filmmaking.

1. The Richest Man in Town (It's a Wonderful Life)

On the complete opposite note of Se7en, It's a Wonderful Life is the most feel-good, happy ending of all time. So many movies make people cry out of sadness. The ending of It's a Wonderful Life always makes me cry, but it is out of pure joy and happiness. The film itself is sad; George Bailey is a depressed character, but after seeing what the world would be like without him, he gains a new appreciation for his life. The film truly lives up to it's title as we see all of the people George has positively affected come to his house and help him. The scene builds in emotion and greatness as Harry, George's brother, shows up, and finally acknowledges him with a toast; "To my big brother George. The richest man in town." The film leaves off with bells ringing, signifying to George that Clarence has gotten his wings. I'm getting chills thinking about it. This is the power of storytelling; it can make you feel so many things throughout, and It's a Wonderful Life accomplishes that, ending on a perfect, joyous, beautiful note. I adore this film and this ending. It almost transcends movie-making to me because of how powerful and emotional it is. I just love it.