Summary
There’s nothing more exciting than a well-executedplot twist, but sadly, once it’s been revealed, it’s impossible to experience the film the same way ever again. While I agree that rewatching a movie with knowledge of its twist can also be very enjoyable, the experience has been irreparably changed because I can’t help but constantly try to spot clues to its twist the whole way through. If only there was a way to erase these films from my memory, then I would love to go back and experience them again, like it was the very first time.
The best movie twistsoften come as total surprises in the moment, but upon reflection, I realize that the clues were there the whole time to uncover its mystery. One of my favorite experiences when watching a film wasthat eureka moment when you realized the twist at the exact time the filmmaker wanted you toand then nodded your head with pride as the movie’s character laid out the fascinating truth. While it’s impossible to change the past and erase memories in this manner, if I could, these are the films I would choose.
8The Game (1997)
Twist: It was all part of the game
When I first watchedThe Game, I had no knowledge of its plot or twists and turns. As a fan of David Fincher’s work, I knew it was a mystery thriller but was totally unprepared for the disorienting drama that was about to unfold onscreen. Much like Michael Douglas as Nicholas Van Orton, I, too, was taken on an intricate journey where the lines between what was real and discerning what was part of the strange game he was playing started to blur.
The big twist inThe Gamecame after following countless elaborate lies and carefully constructed schemes, which left me on the edge of my seat. Like the best mysteries,The Gamekept me guessing right to the very end, and after it was revealed that Nicholas throwing himself from a rooftop and landing in the party was also part of the game, I was truly gobsmacked. It’s impossible to recapture the feelings of confusion and anxiety of watchingThe Gamefor the first time, and I wish I could see it again with fresh eyes.
The Game
Cast
Directed by David Fincher, The Game is a mystery thriller released in 1997. Michael Douglas stars as Nicholas Van Orton, an investment banker brought into a mysterious game by his brother hosted by the wealthy. As the game continues to integrate into his life, he begins to see the cracks in the facade of the group’s game, ultimately revealing a dark conspiracy at the center.
The Game Ending Explained: What’s Real In David Fincher’s Thriller
David Fincher’s twist-filled 1997 thriller The Game makes for a dizzying viewing experience, but the ending may call for some explaining.
7Soylent Green (1973)
Twist: Soylent Green was made of people
Soylent Greenwas a Charlton Heston cult classic that combined sci-fi with police procedurals to create a thrilling dystopian story that addressed themes of pollution, depleted resources, and overpopulation. I had vaguely heard of this film when I caught it playing on TV late one night and was soon enthralled by its unique story, which felt highly relevant even all these decades later. Set in a future where society was on the brink of collapse,the people inSoylent Greensurvived off a plankton-based food product made by the Soylent Corporation.
However, as the conspiracy withinSoylent Greenslowly revealed itself, I was shocked to learn that Soylent Green was not made from sea creatures at all but was, in fact, made out of human corpses. This shocking twist was made all the more effective by Heston bellowing the iconic quote, “You’ve got to tell them! Soylent Green is people!” This moment left a lasting impression on me, and I wish I could forget it altogether, just to go back and experience it for the first time all over again.
Soylent Green
Soylent Green is a dystopian science fiction film set in an overpopulated 2022, where the world faces extreme resource scarcity and environmental decay. Charlton Heston stars as Detective Thorn, who investigates the murder of a wealthy businessman. As he delves deeper, Thorn uncovers a disturbing secret about the synthetic food supply produced by the Soylent Corporation. Directed by Richard Fleischer, the film explores the consequences of overpopulation and corporate greed.
6Gone Girl (2014)
Twist: Amy framed her husband for murder
While I’ve always thought of M. Night Shyamalan as Hollywood’s biggest plot twist provider, thinking about the movie twists I wish I could experience again, I was surprised at how many came from David Fincher’s movies. One ofFincher’s most effective twistscame fromGone Girl, the astounding psychological thriller that featureda career-defining performance from Rosamund Pike as Amy Elliott Dunne. The power ofGone Girl’stwist was in how well it strung viewers along, only to reveal the shocking truth in one fell swoop.
The twist that Amy had faked her death and framed her husband Nick (Ben Affleck) for murder left me stunned, as the true extent of her manipulation was far beyond anything I’d ever expected. Pike’s ‘cool guy’ monologue was a masterclass in effective screenwriting and helped justify her horrific behavior to viewers who were still picking their jaws up from the floor.Gone Girl’stwist had immense power during its first viewing, and although I still get a lot from the movie upon a rewatch, it was just never the same as that first time.
Gone Girl
Based on Gillian Flynn’s 2012 novel, Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as Nick and Amy Dunne, a couple whose disintegrating marriage is rocked by Amy’s sudden disappearance and Nick’s suspected hand in it. As evidence begins to pile up against Nick, it eventually becomes clear with a shocking twist that all is not what it seems. Flynn also wrote the screenplay for the film, with David Fincher directing.
5Get Out (2017)
Twist: Rose’s family wanted to take over Chris’s body
As a fan of Jordan Peele’s comedy work with his frequent co-star Keegan-Michael Key, I was incredibly excited to check out his directional debut, the satirical horrorGet Out. While I knewGet Outwould be a change of pace for Peele in terms of style, I was not expecting him to deliver one of the year’s best movies with a profoundly compelling twist ending. It was obvious from the get-go that something weird was up with Rose’s family, but discovering they were using young Black people’s bodies to gain immortality was a development I didn’t see coming.
Get Outwalked the fine line between slowly revealing its unnerving context and providing an a-ha moment when the truth behind the Order of the Coagula was revealed. The twist inGet Outhad so much to say about race relations in America, the fetishization of Black bodies, and class inequalities.Get Outwas a deeply clever film that has a lot to offer upon rewatch, but I still wish I could forget it all and experience the shock of that first viewing one more time.
Get Out
Jordan Peele made his directorial Horror debut with Get Out, a terrifying Psychological Horror film starring Daniel Kaluuya. In the 2017 release, Chris Washington heads to Upstate New York to meet the family of his girlfriend, Rose. What follows is a horrifying ordeal for the anxious photographer.
Get Out Ending & Twists Explained
Jordan Peele’s Get Out blends a classic horror movie premise with a topical twist – and here’s what the movie and the ending really mean.
4Shutter Island (2010)
Twist: Teddy was a patient at the psychiatric facility
Martin Scorsese has long been one of my favorite filmmakers, but I don’t generally go into his movies expecting there to be an epic plot twist that recontextualizes the entire film. This was whythe twist ending ofShutter Islandcame entirely out of left field for me. Instead of closely paying attention to clues of Teddy Daniel’s psychological troubles, I was fully invested in his missing persons investigation. I believed Teddy’s perspective was totally unprepared for a twist of the magnitude seen inShutter Island.
The twist thatTeddy was a patient at the hospitaland doctors had played into his disillusion to get him to confront his unaddressed trauma madeShutter Islandone of Scorsese’s most surprising films. I now enjoy going back and watching the movie with this twist in mind, as the subtle clues were breadcrumbed through the entire narrative. Saying this, what I wouldn’t give to relive that first viewing experience and be totally floored by the unreliability of Teddy’s unreliable narrative once again.
Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island is based on the novel of the same name by Dennis Lehane and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley. Set in 1959, Shutter Island follows two U.S. Marshalls - Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Ruffalo) as they are sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital specializing in psychiatric care.
3Oldboy (2003)
The plot twist in Park Chan-wook’s action-thriller masterpieceOldboywas one of the most devastating cinematic experiences of my film-watching life. I had heard other film fans raving about this iconic classic, and I actually knew there would be a major plot twist the first time I sawOldboy. But even with this much prior context, there was still nothing that could have prepared me for the revelation that Dae-su had fallen in love and had a sexual relationship with his own daughter. This was so far out of left field that I just never saw it coming.
While this was a harrowing plot twist, it also powerfully played intoOldboy’sthemes of revenge as Dae-su spent 15 years imprisoned in a small hotel room. When revisitingOldboy, I’m still blown away by its incredible action sequences and brilliant direction, but I wish I could rewatch it without knowledge of how its unpredictable plot would play out. The twist ending ofOldboywas one of my earliest memories of a film that truly left me speechless, and its after-effects made me a far more suspicious and inquisitive film viewer moving forward.
Oldboy
Oldboy follows the story of a man mysteriously imprisoned for 15 years without explanation. Upon his release, he embarks on a quest to uncover the identity of his captors and understand the motivations behind their actions. This gripping tale navigates through themes of vengeance and discovery.
2Fight Club (1999)
Twist: The narrator and Tyler Durden were the same person
Watching the dark satirical thrillerFight Clubfor the first time, I was so focused on its powerful deconstruction of male fragility, the dismantling of consumerism, and tirades against Neo-Liberalism that I didn’t pick up on any of the clues to its massive plot twist. The ending ofFight Clubrevealed that Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) was actually Edward Norton’s character the whole time and that he had been orchestrating Project Mayhem himself. This conclusion brought the story together perfectly, and upon returning toFight Clubfor repeated viewings, it’s impossible to recapture that level of shock.
Now, when I revisit the film, I can’t help but notice all thesubtle clues toFight Club’stwist ending. From the “no incoming calls” sign on the pay phone to Edward Norton’s endless insomnia, I wish there was a way to go back toFight Clubwith fresh eyes and experience the incredible effect of its iconic twist ending. While the element of surprise can’t be regained, I’m still thankful thatFight Clubhas maintained its sense of thematic depthand can be enjoyed on multiple levels despite prior knowledge of the twist.
Fight Club
Fight Club, released in 1999 and directed by David Fincher, stars Edward Norton as an insomniac who forms an underground fight club with a soap salesman, played by Brad Pitt.
1The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Sixth Sensehas long been a candidate for the most famous twist movie ending of all time, so it’s difficult to remember a time before I knew how it ended. This iconic twist that Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) had been dead the whole time and was a ghost speaking with Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) was a shocking revelation that has been endlessly referenced and parodied since it was first released. As such a profoundly impactful moment in cinematic history, I wish there was a way to forget this twist and experience it for the first time once again.
Not only does this knowledge impact every rewatch ofThe SixthSense, but it also means Ican’t watch any new M. Night Shyamalan movie without constantly trying to figure out its twistbefore it’s revealed. Thisplot twistwill forever define Shyamalan’s career, but back in 1999, nobody expected the film to end with such a grand revelation. To go back in time and watchThe Sixth Sensefor the first time again would be to reexperience one of Hollywood’s most iconic moments and to rejoice in the film industry’s power to shock and enthrall us.
The Sixth Sense
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, The Sixth Sense is a psychological thriller about a young boy who can see and communicate with ghosts. Bruce Willis as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who tries to help Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment, while grappling with his own personal demons. The movie features a twist ending that has become iconic in pop culture.
