The Set-Up: Robert Redford and Paul Newman play Hooker and Gondorff, a pair of professional con-men looking to fleece Robert Shaw’s mob boss for all he’s worth. At the climactic face-off, both men end up shot as both are revealed to have betrayed each other.
The Twist: Neither of them are really dead! It was all part of the plan to part the mobster from his loot. Hooray!
How Shocking? Not hugely, to be honest. For a film with more double-crosses than your average Fifa convention, you kind of expect there to be a twist in the tale.
Latest Reviews
Top Cat: The Movie
The Turin Horse
Himizu
Comments
IHATESNAKES2896
Aug 16th 2011, 9:35
Where is The Prestige on this list. Such a great twist, it's criminal it's not on here, it should replace the village on this list
Alert a moderator
redreed
Aug 16th 2011, 10:34
IHATESNAKES2896 you took the words right out of my mouth.
Alert a moderator
Samwise89
Aug 16th 2011, 11:04
the first thought I had after looking at that list was, WHERE THE HELL IS THE PRESTIGE!!! and then to scroll down and see both the above comments saying the same thing just made me laugh. Seriously though, why is it not on here, its an amazing twist.
Alert a moderator
wizzard400
Aug 16th 2011, 12:00
agree with the 3 comments above. AND WHAT ABOUT INCEPTION!!!!!
Alert a moderator
jonesr9
Aug 16th 2011, 12:21
Agree about The Prestige, fantastic reveal. What about Shutter Island too? I didn't see that one coming either!
Alert a moderator
Juliette
Aug 16th 2011, 13:09
Some of these are great - especially Empire Strikes Back and Kane, though most of us know the twist before we see the film these days - but a lot of them don't seem especially clever or interesting to me, they're just there to make the audience miserable. The Descent and Buried seem especially pointless - I would've thought the whole point of Buried is the puzzle of how will he get out of there? If he doesn't, in fact, get out, the whole thing is utterly pointless, not to mention not a fun cinema experience.
Alert a moderator
semtek
Aug 16th 2011, 13:13
My girlfriend watched The Sixth Sense with me for the first time the other week. half way through it she turned round to me and said "is bruce willis dead?" I couldnt believe she guessed the twist. She said it was obvious.
Alert a moderator
jakeyboy1000
Aug 16th 2011, 13:20
I've always liked the twist in the Denzel film, 'Fallen'.
Alert a moderator
chaosdefined
Aug 16th 2011, 13:26
Another one to add to the list of missing films would be Wild Things. That thing was just twist after twist, then as the end credits role there's more twists revealed!
Alert a moderator
RaveyDaveyGravy
Aug 16th 2011, 15:53
Ive always thought that the Sixth Sense 'twist' was massively obvious. I'd worked it out from the poster, only to have it confirmed when Brucie was shot in the opening scene. I cant believe it shocked anybody. "I see dead people" he says while looking at Bruce Having said that, brilliantly done!
Alert a moderator
Jedijayo
Aug 16th 2011, 16:45
Em.....Jacob's Ladder!!!????? There wouldn't be a Sixth Sense without it. And what about Jagged Edge?? That was one of the first "It turns out he WAS guilty" movies.
Alert a moderator
Hadouken76
Aug 16th 2011, 18:06
The one in Ringu was pretty terrifying, as in "Ahhh she's been laid to rest all is well...wait, who turned the TV on?" And Dark City a big WTF moment!
Alert a moderator
MrScary
Aug 16th 2011, 18:22
I guessed the twist for The Village when I saw the trailer for it six months before it came out. How was this shocking??? M Night doing a period piece? Hello????
Alert a moderator
Bandit1
Aug 16th 2011, 18:24
Bateman didn't dream or fantasize the murders. He did it...it's been clearly stated more than once by both director and writer. And when reading the book it's more than clear that the murders were real. At the end of the movie It's just his idiot lawyer who, as usual, doesn't really know who he's talking to and always mistakens people for others...the kills did happen!
Alert a moderator
MrScary
Aug 16th 2011, 18:32
And I concur, Fallen should be on this list as well. Best voiceover ever; "Did I ever tell you about the time I almost died...?" Awesome.
Alert a moderator
Hadouken76
Aug 16th 2011, 19:26
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Brazil or 12 Monkeys. Both Gilliam at his bleak best.
Alert a moderator
timbatman
Aug 16th 2011, 21:10
Brad Pitt because Wrath at the end of Se7en rather than Rage. I think =S How about Donnie Darko?
Alert a moderator
timbatman
Aug 16th 2011, 21:10
And Identity.
Alert a moderator
ChrisWootton
Aug 17th 2011, 9:17
Actually Bandit1 it's left entirely open for your own interpretation. In the book it's clearer that there no murders happened and it's all the fantasies of a delusional psychotic
Alert a moderator
MikeyRix
Aug 17th 2011, 11:55
I'm gonna say what everyone else has said: uhm, "The Prestige"?!!? Even my boyfriend's jaw took a temporary holiday to the floor in the last 5-10 minutes of that film.
Alert a moderator
dex2010
Aug 17th 2011, 20:31
The Sixth Sense should be number 1. Suspects twist isnt half as shocking as the Sixth Sense.I will always remember being in the cinema at the end of the Sixth Sense and the crowds reaction.its pure genius!
Alert a moderator
Toph80
Aug 19th 2011, 0:04
hmmmmmm will agree with the Sith Sense should have been number one, but as for the 'twist' to "the Village" am I the only one who actually saw that twist coming before I even saw the movie?? Just reading the write-ups was clear enough for me to work that one out
Alert a moderator
ArienMaia
Aug 19th 2011, 12:55
The Prestige!
Alert a moderator
ArienMaia
Aug 19th 2011, 12:55
The Prestige!
Alert a moderator
alexr
Aug 19th 2011, 14:19
I completely agree that The Village should not be in this list. The 'twist' arrived and I was neither surprised nor saying 'I knew it'. The reason? I JUST DIDN'T CARE. As soon as I found out there was nothing supernatural going on, the film lost its hook. Twist endings are only really effective if the premise is upheld all the way through. The Village gave up on the premise (of a village being stalked by vicious monsters) about two thirds fo the way through, and from then on it was just a country bumpkin movie. Load of b*llocks. I agree with Jakeyboy1000 and the others that said Fallen should be here. Great twist - didn't see it coming at all. Take out American Psycho and replace with Jacob's Ladder. Also, where was Don't Look Now? And how about Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace - the twist being that Star Wars is actually sh!t...
Alert a moderator
starwars4life
Aug 20th 2011, 12:56
Fantastic! Three things though: Yes. The Prestige should have been in there. 'The Tortured' - although by no means a particularly good film, has one of the iciest twists ever. And last of all - one should be hesitant to call American Psycho a twist ending, after all mistaken identity is a major theme in the film and the ending leaves a lot of ambiguity. So he may well have killed them.
Alert a moderator
bazman05
Aug 21st 2011, 19:24
The mere fact that you had American Psycho in this list with that moronic analysis means you really did not understand the film. It's only implied that some of the people he killed are still alive, but this film is all about mistaken identities and some of the people mentioned at the end as still alive may not be who they think they are. You really need to watch it again and take it off this list.
Alert a moderator
emperorstephen
Aug 24th 2011, 8:59
I am going to mention a less known Greek film that made the festival circuit and was quite a hit in France, "Strella" or "A Woman's Way" the film is known with either of these two titles. This film has a killer of a twist! Highly recommended if you want to be suprised. more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1332125/
Alert a moderator
josephchv
Aug 24th 2011, 21:09
Can't help thinking you've missed a great twist ending here: Titanic, by James Cameron. The ship going down is an absolute master stroke, and after all they'd said about it being unsinkable... you just could not see that coming. Fantastic.
Alert a moderator