I have always been a fan of a great plot twist. Some are so good that it takes a few minutes (or days) to fully comprehend what just happened!
So here is my personal top 10 all time Twists (and a few honourable mentions)
In case you haven’t been paying attention, Were about to spoil the heck out of some films so be warned (Again)
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
Here we go….
10. Memento (2000)
A Truly original and fantastic film that uses the hook that the story is told in reverse, and our hero has short term memory loss after a traumatic event (His Wife’s Death)
The Twist: Our hero is hunting down (& killing) his wife’s killer (not for the first time, likely not for the last) when all along HE was responsible for her death.
Edward Norton is Insanely good in this film where he is on trial for killing a priest and his attorney needs to convince the jury that his client was abused and forced into the act.
The Twist: Norton is so believable as the timid victim that it shocking when it is revealed he is a cold, calculating Psychopath AFTER he gets off the charge.
A man is imprisoned in a room for unknown reasons for 15 years, then let out and has 5 days to find out why he was imprisoned and kill his abductor.
The Twist: Where do we begin, when he falls for a young waitress, the sleeps with her only to find out it’s his daughter that his captor hypnotized both to fall in love with each other, then he cuts out his tongue (Due to his loose lips starting the whole ordeal decades earlier) so his daughter wont have to find out. And he finally gets hypnotized so he can live happily ever after as his daughter’s lover with none of the guilt.
7. Se7en (1995)
Two Detectives hunt down a serial killer that is killing his victims according to the seven deadly sins
The Twist: When the killer John Doe (Kevin Spacey) is caught a little too easily with 2 sins left (Envy & Wrath) he leads the detectives to a remote location where a delivery driver drops off a box for Brad Pitt‘s character. “What’s in the Box?!” His (pregnant) wife’s head, Doe taunts the detective to kill him thus finishing his work. Which he does.
After astronauts crash land on a planet ruled by apes Charlton Heston makes a startling discovery
The Twist: Most people know this one by now, that the “Planet” they were on was actually Earth!
Two guys who couldn’t be more different, form an underground Fight Club
The Twist:There’s only 1 Guy, well sort of… Tyler has dissociated personality disorder and is actually able to “kill” his 2nd personality.
4. Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
In Arguably the Best Star Wars film, Luke Skywalker battles Darth Vader and is shocked to find out…
The Twist: Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker’s FATHER! (also Princess Leia is his sister and they totally made out)
On his deathbed, Publishing Tycoon Charles Foster Kane utters the word “Rosebud” and everyone wants to find out it’s significance
The Twist: Rosebud is his beloved childhood sled.
A slow witted lone survivor of a gun battle nicknamed “Verbal” retells the story of what happened to the cops, while the police try to figure out who the Kingpin named Keyser Soze is.
The Twist: Kevin Spacey leaves the police station limping away.. until he Straighten’s up, hop’s into a car, and escapes as the Infamous Keyser Soze.
Haley Joel Osment has a special Gift: He can see dead people. He is helped by a Child Psychologist to deal with his gift.
The Twist: Bruce Willis who plays the Child Psychologist has Actually been Dead since VERY early on in the film.
You know it’s a good twist when you want to IMMEDIATELY go back and re-watch the film because there’s no way that that particular twist can hold up in the story! But it does!
A few Honourable mentions Not Quite on the top 10:
Soylent Green is People!….. Yeah I’m not hungry anymore
Jason Voorhees is NOT the killer! It’s his Mommy!
Dil isn’t a lady….If you know what I mean
What are your favorite Plot Twists?