10. Magnolia (1999)
The most ambitious film in Paul Thomas Anderson’s impressive canon, this sprawling tale of family, love, death and regret set in California’s San Fernando Valley ends with frogs falling from the sky (no, really) and one of the most poignant smiles in the history of cinema.
9. Dr Strangelove (1964)
This intensely satirical look at Cold War politics has an extremely surreal ending that is distinctly Kubrickian and darkly comedic, as Peter Sellers’ titular mad scientist suddenly finds his feet and Doomsday finally arrives.
8. Fight Club (1999)
One of the defining films of the 1990s ends with the narrator (Edward Norton) and Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter) hand-in-hand, silently observing the culmination of the chaos instigated by the anarchic organisation Project Mayhem. As the towering guitar riff of Pixies’ ‘Where Is My Mind’ begins, civilisation crumbles.
7. Irreversible (2002)
The genius of Gaspar Noé’s brutally powerful drama is its unusual reverse-chronological timeline. Alex (Monica Bellucci) relaxes in a sunny park in the final scene (which is the start of the story), and the audience is presented with what is ostensibly a happy ending, rendered utterly heartbreaking by our knowledge of exactly what is to come.
6. Casablanca (1942)
The gripping finale to this wartime classic sees Humphrey Bogart’s Rick faced with a moral dilemma which is resolved in incredibly romantic, yet devastating, fashion. But as he walks off into the light, he’s already looking to the future.
5. La Haine (1995)
Tension is ever-present in this masterpiece of French cinema, which depicts a day in the life of three French youths surviving in the projects of Paris amid intense riots and clashes with local police. The violent undercurrent that throbs throughout the film reaches a shocking conclusion in the electric final scene.
4. Chinatown (1974)
Roman Polanksi’s final film in the US is a gripping neo-noir mystery in which private eye Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) struggles to unravel a web of deceit, corruption and murder in LA. The film’s perfect final line encapsulates the helplessness of his situation.
3. The Usual Suspects (1995)
Rarely does a film subvert entirely what the audience thinks they know in its very final scene. A glance at a cluttered notice board, the smash of a coffee cup, the straightening up of a walk, and like that, “he’s gone”.
2. The Godfather Pt. 1 (1972)
The inexorable ascent of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) to becoming Don of the Corleone crime organisation, and his transformation from a quiet family man to cold-blooded mafioso is complete with this stunning scene. A closed door has never been so chilling.
1. Raging Bull (1980)
This powerful yet beautifully simple scene sees ageing, overweight, retired boxer Jake La Motta (Robert De Niro) staring at a mirror preparing for an appearance at a dingy nightclub, shadow-boxing and growling to himself, “I’m the boss, I’m the boss, I’m the boss”. He could have been the boss. He could have been a contender.
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