MovieChat Forums > Big Night (1996) Discussion > Great movie endings - UNSUNG

Great movie endings - UNSUNG

posted 19 years ago by HudsonHawk74
10 replies | jump to latest

Here's my list. Let's leave out the "Fight Club"s, the "Carrie"s and the whole Shyamalan oeuvre. Not surprise endings necessarily, but endings that reflect the film as a whole and leave the viewer satisfied.

"Big Night" - One simple, unbroken shot with little dialogue - a man makes an omelet to share with his brother. Bogart and Bergman would always have Paris. Primo and Secondo will always have food.

"Eddie and the Cruisers" - So-so movie, but the final shot redefines everything.

"Ruthless People" - The kidnapped heiress runs off with her kidnappers, screwing over her lousy husband in the process. Clever use of a dead body, too. (Why doesn't Dale Launer get more movies made - he's great.)

"Nashville" - A country star is assassinated. There's chaos, panic - until an aspiring star calms the audience with a song, and everyone joins in.

"The Player" - Robert Altmans nose-thumbing to Hollywood. The Bad Guy (the main character) gets away with murder, and greenlights a movie about how he did it. The last spoken words: "Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah-nyaaaaaah!"

"The Third Man" - Another long, unbroken shot. Harry Lime is dead, and his former lover, loyal to a fault, passes up his friend rather than betray Lime's memory.

"Babe" - "That'll do, pig."

"Ray, when someone asks you if you're a god, you say YES!"

www.hardacrefilmfestival.com

[–] dan_k24 19 years ago

When you mention great endings the 2nd movie that comes to my mind (after this one) is Nights of Cabiria by Fellini. It's a really good movie all the way through and then the last scene elevates it to greatness.

Life's a fragile thing Har. One minute you're chewing on a burger, the next you're dead meat.

[–] the_potato_phantom 19 years ago

Oh! "Cabaret" has a fantastic ending as well. Very chilling. I think Big Night rates up there right along side it for me. They're both wonderful.

------------
"Et tu, Brute? Then fall, Caesar."
Julius Caesar
Act III: Scene 1

[–] ddayrob 19 years ago

the ending of Big Night for me is the closest film ever got to theatre
like it was actually happening right there in front of me
so moving
cinematic and dramatic genius

[–] aag12345-1 18 years ago

Some of my favorite endings, though they're not unsung --

1. One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. The chief sees that they've lobotomized Nicholson, suffocates him, rips out that marble shower thing, throws it through the window and goes running off to that crazy music.

2. Schindler's List. The film switches to color and the actual Schindler survivors and their descendents are lined up, putting stones on Schindler's grave.

3. Goodfellas. Ray Liotta turns to the camera while getting his morning paper and says what things are like now compared to when he was living the life, how he orders spaghetti and they bring him egg noodles and ketchup and he's just an average schnook. The Sid Viscious' My Way plays loud with flashbacks from the film.

4. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Butch and Sundance argue in the cave about where they're going to travel to next and then storm out to get blown away by the entire Bolivian army.

5. Pulp Fiction. Travolta and Samuel Jackson swaggering out of the diner in their Santa Cruz t-shirts.

"Boy that was really exciting. I bet you're a big Lee Marvin fan aren't ya."

[–] jqrosen 18 years ago

Really liked the film, confused on the great ending in the kitchen. Just read the Ebert review, he said it illustrated that things would never be the same between the bros. after the restaurant closed and the conflict of the final evening. i took it as the opposite. that even though the restaurant was a failure and the bros. said some nasty things to each other on the beach, things will always be the same, because they are brothers and they still share the home country. or is the tucci character americanized to the point of no return? just curious to see other viewers' thoughts.

[–] jshane2002 18 years ago

The brothers had an unspoken thing between them -- they understand each other without words. It didn't matter whether they went back to Rome to work for the uncle or stayed in New Jersey. They had this bond between them that was central to both of them, then came the love of food.

[–] solasta 17 years ago

I just re-watched this film after many years and yes, the end is still as great as it was the first time I saw it. I love this long, unspoken bond that develops in front of us on screen. It's just a moving scene between two brothers. I'll always be impressed by it and it's hard to say why.

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] caveez 16 years ago

A truly great ending to a fantastic movie. Unspoken dialogue for over 5 minutes that says everything from forgiveness to love to respect and to brotherly devotion. A masterful ending to which I've never seen before or perhaps ever again.

a GAG order is needed

[–] skidrowmofo 16 years ago

"Big Night" is the Big Daddy Long Shanks of all movie endings. My second would have to be "High Risk". What a great movie. When the Stoners return as the calvary to the Rolling Stone's "I cant get no satisfaction" it just wraps up this little gem nicely.