25 Best Movie Twists Of The Last 25 Years
So many great movies in this world. My love of movies is a close 3rd to
baseball, which follows my #1, family. I truly can't explain how or why
I love movies the way I do. So, I won't get into it. Recently, I
created a list of my top 50 favorite plot twist movies. It led to me
here, where I'm going to condense it into the best 25 of the last
quarter-century in cinema. Surely, you may disagree on either the order
or the movies within this list, but there are so many movies with great
twists. This is simply MY top 25 favorites.
Honorable Mention: The Usual Suspects, Mr. Brooks, Identity, The Game
#25: Ocean's Eleven
You just can't hate this movie no matter how hard you try. Not to say I've ever tried. It's so well done. Don;t think about the sequels when you rethink this movie. It was a masterpiece. Why is it on the top 25 twists, though? Well, if you remember correctly there was a slight twist near the end. When you think the whole heist is going on simultaneously with the unfolding plot, you're really just watching a pre-made mock to distract not only the viewer, but also Terry Benedict. No, they're actually the SWAT guys. Not a huge twist, but the 25th best.
#24: Wild Things
Ahh, Wild Things. I'm sure there is an order to every man's recollection of this underrated film. It probably goes something like, girl-on-girl action, three-way in the hotel, short skirts, THEN the plot. Understandable, but it shouldn't go down that way. If it wasn't for the softcore porn feel of this movie, it could have gone down as one of the better plot twists in recent memory. There were really a handful of them, all leading up the one final, true villain that 1 out of every 5 viewers (MAYBE) knew was coming. Right when you think it's over, it's not. That makes a truly great twist.
#23: Donnie Darko
Donald Darko. The troubled teen who just wants to fix the world. A plane engine falls into his room after a routine sleepwalk sends him down the road to safety. He has the opportunity to alter the time-space continuum and be in his room when the engine falls. Killing himself is supposed to save a lot of people from eventually making life-altering mistakes you see throughout the movie. It's not so much a twist, as a perfectly manufactured way of altering perception (which is what twists do). For that, I am putting it here. If that's not enough, I think this movie belongs in any movie list for any reason.
#22: Taking Lives
It wasn't too hard to figure out. Like most who's-the-killer movies, it's the guy who acts the least suspicious. Ethan Hawke has that innocent look about him giving him the edge as the obvious killer, but Taking Lives really gives you more than enough reasons to believe it's not actually going to be him. Yet, in the end, even though most people will say "I knew it all along," I highly doubt they figured it the way it went down. Then again, the title slightly hints it while disguised as an alternate way of saying murder. Of course, he takes the victims identities, making it terribly difficult to trace him.
#21: Smokin' Aces
This movie is made in that new age way that oozes cool. I didn't expect it to be so good when I spent the 9 bucks in theaters. Well worth the price. You've got good actors with great scripts and an unexpected plot twist at the end. It's one of those movies that didn't need a twist to be good, yet it made it ten times better. The dialogue makes it so obvious, but in the Saw-like way, it doesn't put it in front of you until the very end.
#20: Memento
#19: Awake
Sometimes great ideas don't get all the credit they deserve because they are hidden behind an average movie. Here is a perfect example. It's just too bad Hayden Christensen is such a weak actor, because a good one here would have thrust it to the top 10. There are just enough twists to keep you guessing even though its brutally obvious from the first moment Jessica Alba's character gets upset. Although it's not about a neglected fiancee getting revenge, you could see when she gets upset that something is not right. The best twist comes from the mother, and since I've already given away enough, I'll stop here.
#18: Secret Window
I just got done watching it again to remember how damn good this movie is. Johnny Depp is just one of those actors that makes every role appealing. Put him in a Stephen King book and you've got instant gold. Another case of who's who. They always make for the best plot twists don't they? It's no different here. Yet, the execution. The pace. The acting. The writing. The intensity. It's all better than whatever movie you just saw. Usually.
#17: Matchstick Men
You can't ask for much more in the casting department. This girl looks the part and plays it too. You'd never guess the first time around what's REALLY going on here because it's perfectly disguised. Under the cover of a heist movie, which, in itself, would still be worthy of any top 25 list. It's so much more. The whole movie is one big set up. Another well-oiled kick in the nuts.
#16: Fracture
Anthony Hopkins should just always act as if he's reprising Hannibal Lecter. He plays it so well. Finally, we get to see it in a different movie. And opposite one of the best new actors out there, Ryan Gosling, it makes for one of those movies. Why is it #16, though? It's not a typical twist. It's unique. Hopkins' character approaches his crime with such confidence that he will be innocent, you just ache for the truth to come out. Because, hell, you saw it for yourself. He shot her in the face. No question about it. But that's not the point. And that's why you'll love it.
#15: Derailed
Awake + depth. This movie kicks you right in the nuts when it closes out. Still, you aren't anticipating it. There are actually two twists here. Both are equally efficient at making this movie top notch. First, you've got the whole set-up followed by the slow unfolding of how it all goes down. They are just so good at doing it, it becomes a job for them. The longer you work one job, the better the chance you'll screw up, right? But then, as the movie closes, that one line that does it. It kicks you right where it hurts so good. "I chose this prison."
#14: Wicker Park
If you still haven't seen this movie, you need to. It's good. Real good. The Shakespearean take on confusion in the modern world. The twist isn't so much a kick in the nuts as much as a movie-long firm grasp of them. There is so much going on in this movie and it all matters. I really do love that about Wicker Park.
#13: The Devil's Advocate
Al Pacino. Keanu Reeves. Father and Son. Sounds simple. There is a complication, though. Daddy is Satan and he needs baby boy to get it on with his "sister" and create the Antichrist. To sum it up. But seriously, there isn't a "WHOA!!" moment here, but rather a well-crafted movie with a character twist. It's obvious Pacino's character has something sinister about him, but the first time you see it, you probably didn't think he was the devil himself. All the subtleties in this movies play perfectly in that humorous, but connected way.
#12: A Beautiful Mind
You don't win Best Picture at the Academy Awards by accident. It's a combination of great actors performing at their best with a great script and great direction to boot. In 2001, Russell Crowe gave his best performance. Dr. John Nash. The true story of a man with so much knowledge and such a passion for creating what he called, "an original idea," that he didn't know where to start. How do you take a true story about a mathematician the 12th best twist movie? Step into the world of John Nash's schizophrenic mind. The three characters that exist in his wild imagination create a very real movie. Yet, by the end of the film, everything you know is turned upside down. What is real never is. The realization of this is what creates the true twist here.
#11: The Bone Collector
Denzel Washington. Two words that make any movie fan anticipate any movie. He turns everything into a potential Oscar-winner, with the exception of a few (Virtuosity, for example). Well, Russell Crowe and Denzel gave it another shot this year with American Gangster. I think they hit it right the second time. Anyway, Bone Collector gives you a true crime drama with a TRULY unexpected twist. If you saw it coming your first time, then allow me to bow to you.
#10: The Illusionist
The first of two magic movies on this list. Although The Illusionist is a little better in its entirety, the twist wasn't as good as The Prestige's. though, it still has a fantastic one. Everything about this movie raises either a question or an eyebrow. The plot is one of those that confuses you to a point where you want to give up and then it throws all the truth on you at once. I can't say I didn't enjoy every second of it.
#9: The Sixth Sense
The old, neglected granddaddy of modern day twists. I'm not saying there aren't better movies or older ones with the same idea, but the way America took this movie in opened up the genre for a long, long time. Everybody has seen it. At least, I hope so. The movie is good. But the twist is what makes it. People like to say it was obvious, but nobody saw it coming when they were sitting in the theater. Bruce Willis is a ghost the whole time. The famous line, "I see dead people," gets all the credit here, but the true secret to this movie is that twist.
#8: Lucky Number Slevin
Not everybody has heard of, let alone seen, this movie. But it's another Bruce Willis masterpiece. Josh Hartnett also seems to find himself in an endless number of great movies (Black Hawk Down, Sin City, etc.). There are plenty of reasons to like this movie. If anything, the best of course, is the twist. Noticing a theme here? Another case of nothing is what it seems. And nobody is who you think they are. It's a Kansas City Shuffle.
#7: Inside Man
Clive Owen. Denzel Washington. Willem Dafoe. Jodie Foster. None of them miss a beat in their roles. This movie's twist is manufactured so well. The beginning is the end. But what you think Clive Owen is referring to is, of course, not what it seems. A cell doesn't always have to be a jail cell, does it?
#6: The Prestige
Are you watching closely? Watch closely and you'll know why it is the #6 plot twist of the past quarter-century. And if you didn't appreciate the way this movie unfolded the first time around, give it another chance. Knowing what you know, it may take more than once to see why I love it this much. And why you will too.
#5: Saw 2
Wondering when the Saw movies would show up? Everybody who's seen these dandies know why people love them so much. It's truly amazing how after the success of the first movie they could chop out a second so fast, but still have it just as good. The twists are what make it so famous. And the execution of it is top notch. With the final scene recaps that uncover the secrets throughout the movie. "It is I that will carry on John's work when he dies." Ohh man, that line gives me chills every time I hear it.
#4: The Machinist
Christian Bale. The best actor of my generation. Many disagree, but that's my opinion. We get one of his very best performances here. Not only did he shed 60 pounds for the role to display the terrible effects that his character's insomnia has caused, but he shows guilt as never seen before. A person so guilty with his past that he has become immune to it. Forgotten it entirely. That is, until a chain of events brings his mind back to ground zero and he uncovers his dirty past with us, the audience. It's a path that keeps you interested in this dialogue-based movie.
#3: Seven
Brad Pitt sure knows how to pick 'em. Roles, that is. Not wives. Although he is good at both. Gwenyth Paltrow and Morgan Freeman support Pitt in a movie that doesn't seem like it should have a twist, but it most definitely does. The killer's (perfectly cast with Kevin Spacey) murder style following the Seven Deadly Sins leaves you at a pinnacle with the finale of this movie. He still has 2 sins left to fulfill, you query. But he knows that, too. The intensity of that final scene unfolding is unmatched. You pray for Pitt to hold himself back, but would you? Given the situation he is presented, would you not kill Kevin Spacey?
#2: Saw 1
The best of the series, by far. One of the best movies of all time. It goes underrated by the critics who want somber biographical movies. Doesn't matter. Without a prerequisite to expect what would happen, the viewer was sent through a movie that seemed as simple as it looked. A sadistic killer with unrivaled preparation and execution of his murders. Cool. But whole movie is like a maze of questions and puzzles. Yet, the best part is saved for the very end. That slow rise of Jigsaw from the bathroom floor is one of my favorite moments in movie history. The music. The revelation of what has just happened. The uncovering of what you thought you knew being wrong. It's a flawless piece of work.
#1: Fight Club
I've been asked countless times in my life, "What's your favorite movie?" I never really know what to say. But I think I've finally come to my senses and the answer is simple. Fight Club. Every single moment in this movie feels perfect to me. Everything. And that ultimate twist the entire movie builds you up to. Nothing was what it seems. The essence of every great plot twist. When you think you know what's coming next, you're going to be wrong. Now this isn't one of those twists you'll see in a Saw movie. It's not a piece-it-together plot. Rather, it's a thinking man's movie. The dialogue brings up constant issues and questions that everybody should ask themselves. And in the end, it asks the biggest question. If you had an uncontrollable alter ego that was wreaking havoc on society, would you have it in you to kill yourself?
Honorable Mention: The Usual Suspects, Mr. Brooks, Identity, The Game
#25: Ocean's Eleven
You just can't hate this movie no matter how hard you try. Not to say I've ever tried. It's so well done. Don;t think about the sequels when you rethink this movie. It was a masterpiece. Why is it on the top 25 twists, though? Well, if you remember correctly there was a slight twist near the end. When you think the whole heist is going on simultaneously with the unfolding plot, you're really just watching a pre-made mock to distract not only the viewer, but also Terry Benedict. No, they're actually the SWAT guys. Not a huge twist, but the 25th best.
#24: Wild Things
Ahh, Wild Things. I'm sure there is an order to every man's recollection of this underrated film. It probably goes something like, girl-on-girl action, three-way in the hotel, short skirts, THEN the plot. Understandable, but it shouldn't go down that way. If it wasn't for the softcore porn feel of this movie, it could have gone down as one of the better plot twists in recent memory. There were really a handful of them, all leading up the one final, true villain that 1 out of every 5 viewers (MAYBE) knew was coming. Right when you think it's over, it's not. That makes a truly great twist.
#23: Donnie Darko
Donald Darko. The troubled teen who just wants to fix the world. A plane engine falls into his room after a routine sleepwalk sends him down the road to safety. He has the opportunity to alter the time-space continuum and be in his room when the engine falls. Killing himself is supposed to save a lot of people from eventually making life-altering mistakes you see throughout the movie. It's not so much a twist, as a perfectly manufactured way of altering perception (which is what twists do). For that, I am putting it here. If that's not enough, I think this movie belongs in any movie list for any reason.
#22: Taking Lives
It wasn't too hard to figure out. Like most who's-the-killer movies, it's the guy who acts the least suspicious. Ethan Hawke has that innocent look about him giving him the edge as the obvious killer, but Taking Lives really gives you more than enough reasons to believe it's not actually going to be him. Yet, in the end, even though most people will say "I knew it all along," I highly doubt they figured it the way it went down. Then again, the title slightly hints it while disguised as an alternate way of saying murder. Of course, he takes the victims identities, making it terribly difficult to trace him.
#21: Smokin' Aces
This movie is made in that new age way that oozes cool. I didn't expect it to be so good when I spent the 9 bucks in theaters. Well worth the price. You've got good actors with great scripts and an unexpected plot twist at the end. It's one of those movies that didn't need a twist to be good, yet it made it ten times better. The dialogue makes it so obvious, but in the Saw-like way, it doesn't put it in front of you until the very end.
#20: Memento
#19: Awake
Sometimes great ideas don't get all the credit they deserve because they are hidden behind an average movie. Here is a perfect example. It's just too bad Hayden Christensen is such a weak actor, because a good one here would have thrust it to the top 10. There are just enough twists to keep you guessing even though its brutally obvious from the first moment Jessica Alba's character gets upset. Although it's not about a neglected fiancee getting revenge, you could see when she gets upset that something is not right. The best twist comes from the mother, and since I've already given away enough, I'll stop here.
#18: Secret Window
I just got done watching it again to remember how damn good this movie is. Johnny Depp is just one of those actors that makes every role appealing. Put him in a Stephen King book and you've got instant gold. Another case of who's who. They always make for the best plot twists don't they? It's no different here. Yet, the execution. The pace. The acting. The writing. The intensity. It's all better than whatever movie you just saw. Usually.
#17: Matchstick Men
You can't ask for much more in the casting department. This girl looks the part and plays it too. You'd never guess the first time around what's REALLY going on here because it's perfectly disguised. Under the cover of a heist movie, which, in itself, would still be worthy of any top 25 list. It's so much more. The whole movie is one big set up. Another well-oiled kick in the nuts.
#16: Fracture
Anthony Hopkins should just always act as if he's reprising Hannibal Lecter. He plays it so well. Finally, we get to see it in a different movie. And opposite one of the best new actors out there, Ryan Gosling, it makes for one of those movies. Why is it #16, though? It's not a typical twist. It's unique. Hopkins' character approaches his crime with such confidence that he will be innocent, you just ache for the truth to come out. Because, hell, you saw it for yourself. He shot her in the face. No question about it. But that's not the point. And that's why you'll love it.
#15: Derailed
Awake + depth. This movie kicks you right in the nuts when it closes out. Still, you aren't anticipating it. There are actually two twists here. Both are equally efficient at making this movie top notch. First, you've got the whole set-up followed by the slow unfolding of how it all goes down. They are just so good at doing it, it becomes a job for them. The longer you work one job, the better the chance you'll screw up, right? But then, as the movie closes, that one line that does it. It kicks you right where it hurts so good. "I chose this prison."
#14: Wicker Park
If you still haven't seen this movie, you need to. It's good. Real good. The Shakespearean take on confusion in the modern world. The twist isn't so much a kick in the nuts as much as a movie-long firm grasp of them. There is so much going on in this movie and it all matters. I really do love that about Wicker Park.
#13: The Devil's Advocate
Al Pacino. Keanu Reeves. Father and Son. Sounds simple. There is a complication, though. Daddy is Satan and he needs baby boy to get it on with his "sister" and create the Antichrist. To sum it up. But seriously, there isn't a "WHOA!!" moment here, but rather a well-crafted movie with a character twist. It's obvious Pacino's character has something sinister about him, but the first time you see it, you probably didn't think he was the devil himself. All the subtleties in this movies play perfectly in that humorous, but connected way.
#12: A Beautiful Mind
You don't win Best Picture at the Academy Awards by accident. It's a combination of great actors performing at their best with a great script and great direction to boot. In 2001, Russell Crowe gave his best performance. Dr. John Nash. The true story of a man with so much knowledge and such a passion for creating what he called, "an original idea," that he didn't know where to start. How do you take a true story about a mathematician the 12th best twist movie? Step into the world of John Nash's schizophrenic mind. The three characters that exist in his wild imagination create a very real movie. Yet, by the end of the film, everything you know is turned upside down. What is real never is. The realization of this is what creates the true twist here.
#11: The Bone Collector
Denzel Washington. Two words that make any movie fan anticipate any movie. He turns everything into a potential Oscar-winner, with the exception of a few (Virtuosity, for example). Well, Russell Crowe and Denzel gave it another shot this year with American Gangster. I think they hit it right the second time. Anyway, Bone Collector gives you a true crime drama with a TRULY unexpected twist. If you saw it coming your first time, then allow me to bow to you.
#10: The Illusionist
The first of two magic movies on this list. Although The Illusionist is a little better in its entirety, the twist wasn't as good as The Prestige's. though, it still has a fantastic one. Everything about this movie raises either a question or an eyebrow. The plot is one of those that confuses you to a point where you want to give up and then it throws all the truth on you at once. I can't say I didn't enjoy every second of it.
#9: The Sixth Sense
The old, neglected granddaddy of modern day twists. I'm not saying there aren't better movies or older ones with the same idea, but the way America took this movie in opened up the genre for a long, long time. Everybody has seen it. At least, I hope so. The movie is good. But the twist is what makes it. People like to say it was obvious, but nobody saw it coming when they were sitting in the theater. Bruce Willis is a ghost the whole time. The famous line, "I see dead people," gets all the credit here, but the true secret to this movie is that twist.
#8: Lucky Number Slevin
Not everybody has heard of, let alone seen, this movie. But it's another Bruce Willis masterpiece. Josh Hartnett also seems to find himself in an endless number of great movies (Black Hawk Down, Sin City, etc.). There are plenty of reasons to like this movie. If anything, the best of course, is the twist. Noticing a theme here? Another case of nothing is what it seems. And nobody is who you think they are. It's a Kansas City Shuffle.
#7: Inside Man
Clive Owen. Denzel Washington. Willem Dafoe. Jodie Foster. None of them miss a beat in their roles. This movie's twist is manufactured so well. The beginning is the end. But what you think Clive Owen is referring to is, of course, not what it seems. A cell doesn't always have to be a jail cell, does it?
#6: The Prestige
Are you watching closely? Watch closely and you'll know why it is the #6 plot twist of the past quarter-century. And if you didn't appreciate the way this movie unfolded the first time around, give it another chance. Knowing what you know, it may take more than once to see why I love it this much. And why you will too.
#5: Saw 2
Wondering when the Saw movies would show up? Everybody who's seen these dandies know why people love them so much. It's truly amazing how after the success of the first movie they could chop out a second so fast, but still have it just as good. The twists are what make it so famous. And the execution of it is top notch. With the final scene recaps that uncover the secrets throughout the movie. "It is I that will carry on John's work when he dies." Ohh man, that line gives me chills every time I hear it.
#4: The Machinist
Christian Bale. The best actor of my generation. Many disagree, but that's my opinion. We get one of his very best performances here. Not only did he shed 60 pounds for the role to display the terrible effects that his character's insomnia has caused, but he shows guilt as never seen before. A person so guilty with his past that he has become immune to it. Forgotten it entirely. That is, until a chain of events brings his mind back to ground zero and he uncovers his dirty past with us, the audience. It's a path that keeps you interested in this dialogue-based movie.
#3: Seven
Brad Pitt sure knows how to pick 'em. Roles, that is. Not wives. Although he is good at both. Gwenyth Paltrow and Morgan Freeman support Pitt in a movie that doesn't seem like it should have a twist, but it most definitely does. The killer's (perfectly cast with Kevin Spacey) murder style following the Seven Deadly Sins leaves you at a pinnacle with the finale of this movie. He still has 2 sins left to fulfill, you query. But he knows that, too. The intensity of that final scene unfolding is unmatched. You pray for Pitt to hold himself back, but would you? Given the situation he is presented, would you not kill Kevin Spacey?
#2: Saw 1
The best of the series, by far. One of the best movies of all time. It goes underrated by the critics who want somber biographical movies. Doesn't matter. Without a prerequisite to expect what would happen, the viewer was sent through a movie that seemed as simple as it looked. A sadistic killer with unrivaled preparation and execution of his murders. Cool. But whole movie is like a maze of questions and puzzles. Yet, the best part is saved for the very end. That slow rise of Jigsaw from the bathroom floor is one of my favorite moments in movie history. The music. The revelation of what has just happened. The uncovering of what you thought you knew being wrong. It's a flawless piece of work.
#1: Fight Club
I've been asked countless times in my life, "What's your favorite movie?" I never really know what to say. But I think I've finally come to my senses and the answer is simple. Fight Club. Every single moment in this movie feels perfect to me. Everything. And that ultimate twist the entire movie builds you up to. Nothing was what it seems. The essence of every great plot twist. When you think you know what's coming next, you're going to be wrong. Now this isn't one of those twists you'll see in a Saw movie. It's not a piece-it-together plot. Rather, it's a thinking man's movie. The dialogue brings up constant issues and questions that everybody should ask themselves. And in the end, it asks the biggest question. If you had an uncontrollable alter ego that was wreaking havoc on society, would you have it in you to kill yourself?
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