Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for the movies mentioned.
Nothing spices up a movie quite like a great plot twist. Indeed, some of the best moments in cinematic history have been jaw-dropping revelations that shocked audiences and spawned endless debates. Whether it’s subtle and creeping or shocking and wholly unexpected, these unforgettable twists aren’t just gimmicks. Truly fantastic plot twists elevate the story, demanding audiences to reexamine what they’ve just seen and brace themselves for something totally different.
From Fight Club‘s infamous reveal about Tyler Durden to The Empire Strikes Back‘s huge bombshell about Darth Vader, the most iconic plot twists have permanently embedded themselves in pop culture. These surprising moments on the big screen pull the rug out from under fans, reminding them of cinema’s power to keep them on their toes because nothing is ever as it seems.
10. The Crying Game (1992)
The Crying Game is a 1990s crime thriller that follows a member of the IRA, Fergus, who has an impactful experience with a captured British soldier, Jody (Forest Whitaker). After Jody tragically dies, Fergus makes a vow to look after Jody’s partner, Dil (Jaye Davidson). He unexpectedly eventually falls in love with her, only to later discover a shocking truth about her identity.
Directed by Neil Jordan, The Crying Game featured a twist that was revolutionary for its time: Dil is transgender. This provokes an aggressive response from Fergus, who soon realizes how wrong his reaction and views are. The 1992 film’s twist is expertly executed because it’s less about tricking the audience and more about expanding their understanding, making it a meaningful plot point that challenged conventions in a way few mainstream movies dared to. While there are many aspects of the film that could be improved, there’s no denying its lasting legacy.
9. Gone Girl (2014)
One of director David Fincher’s best works, Gone Girl is a psychological thriller that tells a clever story of deception that starts with Amy Dunne’s (Rosamund Pike) disappearance. Nick (Ben Affleck), her husband, is immediately the prime suspect in the missing person case. As media frenzy and public suspicion overwhelm Nick, a startling truth flips the entire narrative and shows how sinister the situation actually is.
The jaw-dropping reveal: Amy isn’t missing; she’s orchestrated the entire setup to make Nick look like a murderer. The film shifts to Amy’s perspective halfway through, and viewers who have never read the book it’s based on — Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel — are understandably floored by the twist that transforms her from victim to villain in seconds. Pike is impeccably cast as the cunning Amy, with the actress infusing the character with a terrifying aura that’s felt through every manipulative move.
8. Oldboy (2003)
Oldboy is an intense South Korean neo-noir thriller that follows Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a man imprisoned in a small room for 15 years without any explanation. After he’s suddenly released, Dae-su does everything in his power to uncover the identity of his captor and the reason for his imprisonment. Along the way, he meets and falls in love with a young sushi chef, Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung), who is soon involved in his mission for revenge.
Director Park Chan-wook’s 2003 film would send shockwaves around the world for its gut-wrenching twist. When Dae-su finally confronts his captor, he turns out to be out for revenge, too, which he gets by manipulating the protagonist into starting an incestuous relationship with his own daughter, Mi-do. It’s a jarring and spine-chilling truth that viewers would likely wish to unlearn before the credits roll, much like how Dae-su seeks out a hypnotist to remove any trace of the memory.
7. Se7en (1995)
A renowned thriller with a twist, Se7en is a gritty genre-defining film by director David Fincher. It follows two detectives: the more seasoned and disillusioned Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and the rookie Mills (Brad Pitt). They’re paired together to investigate a series of gruesome murders, each based on one of the seven deadly sins. The elusive serial killer, John Doe (Kevin Spacey), leaves an increasingly elaborate and disturbing trail of clues.
Se7en‘s twist ending is familiar to any fan of cinema, with the iconic “What’s in the box?” moment taking on a life of its own as a meme online. In the harrowing scene, Doe leads the detectives to a mysterious box, which he goads Somerset into opening. Inside is the severed head of Mills’ wife, Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow), and in one final, calculated move, Doe reveals himself as “Envy,” due to the fact that he envied Mills’ life. He provokes Mills into fulfilling the last sin, “Wrath,” by murdering him, completing the gruesome cycle. It’s a brutal revelation that would help the 1995 film set a new benchmark for psychological thrillers.
6. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Director Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects is a crime thriller that’s synonymous with its twist. It revolves around five criminals brought together for a seemingly routine lineup: Keaton (Gabriel Byrne), McManus (Stephen Baldwin), Fenster (Benicio del Toro), Hockney (Kevin Pollak), and Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey). These men are quickly roped into a heist gone wrong, with the lone survivor of a catastrophic boat explosion, Verbal, recounting the tale of the fearsome crime lord named Keyser Söze, to the police.
Eventually, the meek, stammering Verbal Kint, who appears to be an unreliable and benign witness, is revealed to be none other than Keyser Söze himself. In one of the greatest deliveries of a dramatic twist ever, as Verbal leaves the police station, the detective realizes that his entire story was fabricated, pulling details from random objects around the office. The camera pans from bottom to top as Verbal sheds his limp and stammer outside the police station, transforming into the shadowy figure that he was describing all along.
5. The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Sixth Sense is a blockbuster by a director known for his memorable plot twists, M. Night Shyamalan. The 1999 film follows a child psychologist, Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis), who is attempting to help a young boy named Cole (Haley Joel Osment), who claims he can see and communicate with the dead. As Crowe works with Cole to understand and manage his abilities, he grows deeply invested in helping the boy find peace, but discovers something else instead.
While everyone likely knows the horror movie’s massive twist by now, it was incredibly startling for audiences when the film premiered. The twist — that Dr. Crowe himself has been dead the entire time — changes the entire story, forcing viewers to rethink what they just saw. What fans soon realize is that the clues were there all along, with Shyamalan weaving them in unexpected places and making The Sixth Sense entertaining to rewatch.
4. Planet of the Apes (1968)
A groundbreaking sci-fi movie directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, Planet of the Apes is centered on astronaut George Taylor (Charlton Heston) and his crew as they crash-land on a mysterious, desolate planet ruled by intelligent, talking apes. Here, humans are considered primitive and inferior,, according to the apes and their hierarchical society, and are relegated to the roles of mute slaves or lab subjects. As Taylor becomes increasingly desperate to escape, he learns the truth about this seemingly alien world.
Planet of the Apes has one of the most influential shots not just in the genre, but in cinema: Taylor stumbling upon the ruins of the Statue of Liberty buried in the sand. The planet has actually been Earth all along, albeit a postapocalyptic version. This recontextualizes everything viewers have just seen and underscores how the hostile planet is a result of humanity’s own disastrous choices. The 1968 film would spawn a thriving franchise that includes four sequels, multiple series, and more.
3. Psycho (1960)
Director Alfred Hitchcock‘s crowning achievement is also one of horror’s most significant films ever. Psycho tells the story of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a secretary who’s on the run after stealing a lot of money. She stops to rest at Bates Motel and meets its shy and strange manager Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). As the legendary shower scene reveals, she is murdered, but the real twist comes toward the end.
The unsettling plot twist is that Norman Bates’ co-dependent relationship with “Mother” is more bizarre than it seems. There is no controlling shadowy figure telling him what to do. Bates is actually “Mother,” dressing in her clothing and channeling her persona because he has dissociative identity disorder. Aside from boldly breaking numerous taboos, Psycho proved that horror can come from within the mind, becoming a genre-defining work that would inspire other psychological thrillers.
2. Fight Club (1999)
“The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club.” Directed by David Fincher and based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, Fight Club revolves around an unnamed Narrator (Edward Norton) who is disillusioned with his sterile, corporate life. He soon meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a nihilistic soap salesman who helps him establish the titular club, an underground group where men channel their frustrations through brawls. As Fight Club grows into a larger anti-establishment movement, the Narrator realizes that things are spiraling out of his control.
Fight Club‘s anti-capitalist anti-establishment sentiment is perfectly captured by its mind-blowing twist: the Narrator and Tyler Durden are the same person. The Narrator’s dissatisfaction with a cookie-cutter life expresses itself as a violent personality who wants to literally blow it all up. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt also gave career-best performances that helped make Fight Club the icon it is today.
1. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
A great example of a sequel done right, Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back continues the story following the Rebel Alliance’s victory. Directed by Irvin Kershner, the film sees Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) begin his Jedi training with Yoda (Frank Oz) on the planet Dagobah, while Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), and the rest of the team evade Imperial forces led by Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones).
Even those who have never seen the film are likely familiar with its unforgettable twist accompanied by one of cinema’s most legendary lines: “No, I am your father.” Darth Vader’s staggering revelation changes everything about Luke’s journey and redefines his future in the saga. The fact that it happens during the climactic confrontation at the shocking ending of the stellar sci-fi adventure is just an added bonus.
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