The best ending I've ever seen in a movie is Marius. It did such a brilliant job of closure that it inspired the cinema verite movement to do away with closure.
p.s. boy that Shining book must be real good because the movie is one of the best I've ever seen.
Some others that come to mind (in no apparent order):
The Departed (when you think it's over, it's really not)
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Seven
Chinatown
Reservoir Dogs
Back to the Future
Thelma and Louise... just kidding.
I thought the departed ended quite well; also 3:10 to Yuma(where he kills his whole gang and gives back the gun and gets on the train), I also like lethal Weapon II's ending ..."Diplomatic Immunity has been revoked"
of course, the Pixies blaring "where is my mind" at the end of fight club as all the buildings fall is fantastic.
I went back and read and saw those there- I wanted to add; all M. Night Shyamalan's movies.
All great endings here, but i have a quieter one. Lives of Others. You know what's going to happen, but the final expression on the protagonist's face is so beautiful, subtle and telling.
All great endings here, but i have a quieter one. Lives of Others. You know what's going to happen, but the final expression on the protagonist's face is so beautiful, subtle and telling.
Indeed :)
I would put another German film here, but it's realy hard to qualify something as "best";
Sound of Music had a pretty cool ending. The sin sisters cracked me up then of course the Happy Sappy part when the Van Halen family escaped into the mountains from the natzi party.
I know it wasn't the van halens but it sounds better than Von Trapp and it is a musical family from that part of the world.
I like those movies where people get away with the money, Twins comes to mind, a few others escape me at the moment but if I think of them later I will add them.
ETA:
Lean on Me had a powerful ending. still one of my favortie movies Morgan Freeman and Benson great flick.
