" When you think you eventually sympathize , there ’s a cliffhanger right at the end . It ’s just a masterpiece . "
Recently, in a thread on the subredditr/movies, redditoru/Ginge_6907asked, “What is the greatest cliffhanger/ambiguous ending in movie history?” and movie lovers really came through with some A+ examples!
So, with that in mind, here are just a few of the most popular responses shared:
1.The Thing(1982)
“I watched this today, and spent about five minutes scratching my head at the ending.”
— u / Ginge_6907
You can watch the ambiguous ending here:
2.Total Recall(1990)
“Did he really go to Mars and restore the atmosphere? Or was it all a dream, and the white fade-out is his brain being lobotomized? I don’t think the film confirms either outing, and I wonder to this day.”
— u / Additional - Theme-532
3.Clue(1985)
“It had three or four final reels that gave the movie different endings with every viewing, and good luck getting the theater to tell you when each ending would run at what time.”
— u / Earguy
You can watch (one of) the ambiguous ending(s) here:
4.Inception(2010)
“It has a choose your own adventure ending.”
— u / Bubbly - Permit-9669
5.American Psycho(2000)
“A brilliant example of an ambiguous ending. Bret Easton Ellis crafted a brilliant novel, and the film is just as good.”
— u / ThatFinnyBoy
6.Prisoners(2013)
“That cliffhanger gave me goosebumps.”
— u / ItsWeedzard
7.Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
“I know everyone’s kind of sick of the franchise at this point, but ‘No, I am your father’ and the popsicle Han at the end was a huge cliffhanger and gigantic culturally.”
— u / lsspam
8.District 9(2009)
“I want to know what happens next, but equally don’t want a sequel to spoil it.”
— u/1in8bil
9.Lost in Translation(2003)
“Would this one count? Not in terms of what happened, but in terms of what did he whisper in her ear at the end?”
— uracil / usarasa
10.Once Upon a Time in America(1984)
“Was it all a dream? Was it all real and he just loves going to the opium den after a stressful day? Is Max supposed to die walking behind that garbage truck like some sort of ’60s Jimmy Hoffa?”
— uranium / RiversideAviator
11.Before Sunrise(1995)
“When it was first released, before there was a sequel announced that removed the ambiguity, this was the ultimate cliffhanger ending. The tension of not knowing if they would meet back up at the train station in five years was completely unbearable, and a completely perfect way to end the movie. I like the sequels, but I miss that beautiful unknown future that the first movie ended with.”
— u / ImaginaryNemesis
12.The Prestige(2006)
“This one is up there. What did we really see at the end? ‘You want to be fooled.’ Was I?”
— u / NutellaGood
13.Birdman(2014)
“Two hours of one ‘continuous’ take leading up to an ambiguous ending that was mildly disappointing and amusing. Did he die, or was he dreaming? Did he jump out the window? Did he evolve into a fucking Pokémon and fly away? No one knows.”
— u / Anonymous821
14.The Truman Show(1998)
“We never know what happens to him after he escapes, so for all we know, he’s struggling, but to be willing to take that risk and live life is the entire point of the film. And the way it ended with those two dudes immediately searching for the remote to change the channel was honestly haunting the first time I watched.”
— u / yellowdocmartens
15.No Country for Old Men(2007)
“My favorite ending of all time, and it’s about as ambiguous as you can get.”
— u / hym _ _
16.Halloween(1978)
“That was one of the first ambiguous endings for a horror movie (at least slashers) that utterly shocked movie goers. Even though it was supposed to be a stand-alone film with no sequel planned, the ending was absolutely one of the first sequel-bait endings ever, even if that totally wasn’t the intent. Prior to this, the killer either died and remained dead through to the ending or was seen alive in the last shot (like inTexas Chain Saw MassacreorPsycho).Halloweendid the fake-out: Michael was expected to be dead, only for us to see he’s actually alive. In today’s landscape, it’s not as shocking, but that’s mostly because that ending became the standard horror movie ending. But at the time, it was shocking.”
— u / SLCer
17.Terminator 2: Judgment Day(1991)
“Does the war happen, or doesn’t it?!”
— u / Civilized_Brute
18.Memento(2000)
— u / g99g99z
19.The Wrestler(2008)
“It’s not a cliffhanger, but there is an ambiguous tone when he jumps out of frame. I watched it in the theater, and people just sat quietly through the credits. Usually, people would start talking and preparing to leave, but the ending left an impression.”
— u / Ricobe
And finally:
20.The Italian Job(1969)
“It ends with a literal ‘cliffhanger.'”
— u / Kavalkasutajanimi
Some reaction were edited for duration and/or clarity . H / T : Reddit .
Universal Pictures / Viayoutube.com
