now that’s how you end a film welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 greatest
final shots in movies before we begin we
publish new content every day so be sure
to subscribe to our Channel and ring the
bell to get notified about our latest
videos for this list we’re looking at
the most classic final shots in all of
cinema we’re considering how the shot is
framed how it integrates into the
overall narrative and the emotional
impact it may generate will only be
considering the very final shot itself
not the entire closing scene and if you
like the track you’re hearing right now
check out the full song at the link in
kill us just a little
number 10 the victorious fist the
breakfast club is there a more iconic
ending in all of teen movie history as
John bender leaves detention he pumps
his fist into the air and the movie ends
on a freeze frame of his victorious pose
Sincerely Yours The Breakfast Club sure
it’s a little cheesy but this was the
80s so we can forgive it this shot has
since become one of the most parodied
movie scenes in history and it
encapsulates everything that makes the
Breakfast Club such a heartwarming
classic when bender pumps his fist into
the air we can’t help but feel a little
warm and gooey inside number nine Jack
in 1921 the shining The Shining
seemingly ends in a typical horror movie
fashion Jack chases his son through a
hedge maze and freezes to death and his
family gets away but then Kubrick has to
be Kubrick and throw one final curveball
the ending shot is a slow crawl towards
a photograph wherein Jack can be seen
with a group of partygoers in 1921 wait
what huh this final shot leaves viewers
Minds racing and it’s become the source
of endless discussion and interpretation
that said Stanley Kubrick explicitly
revealed in an interview with machete ma
that the photograph was meant to convey
Jack’s reincarnation like Grady told him
earlier in the movie you’ve always been
the caretaker you’ve always been the
caretaker number 8 mirror shot Raging
Bull Martin Scorsese sure knows how to
end a movie the final shot of The
Departed was one of the most
talked-about endings of the 2000s just
as the mirror shot of Raging Bull was
one of the greatest of the 80s it was
Jojo it was my brother you should have
looked out for me a little bit
in a final long take Jake contemplates
the idea that his own blind rage and
self-destructive tendencies have led him
down a path of ostracization and broken
dreams he impresses himself and his
flaws in the mirror relates to Terry
Malloy from on the waterfront and looks
back on his past glory by shadow boxing
it is one of the most beautiful
bittersweet endings in all of cinema
seven I’m finished there will be blood
sure the ending of there will be blood
has become a bit of a meme but there’s
no denying the dramatic impact of the
final shot it’s a beautifully framed
image that shows the resulting carnage
of Daniel psychopathy including the
brilliant depiction of the greedy Daniel
sitting next to Eli’s fallen corpse I’m
finished like a great piece of
literature there’s so much meaning to be
derived just from this final image alone
including concepts and arguments of
greed Vice sacrifice and biblical
metaphors I’m finished may mean
different things to different people but
we don’t think that there’s any arguing
with the fact that this final shot is a
killer number six
Ethan’s departure The Searchers The
Searchers is often considered the
greatest Western ever made and its final
debbie is returned to the Jorgensen
ranch and Ethan departs alone as the
door swing shut on his receding image
not only is the shot itself immaculately
framed and lit but it also represents
the finality of a genre Ethan a western
hero departs into history and legend as
the screen goes black behind him sure
westerns continued for a few more years
but film critics and historians
generally agreed that the shara peaked
with the searchers this final image is a
perfect representation of that peak a
final goodbye to a unique period in film
history number 5 on tuan looks at the
camera the 400 blows the 400 blows tells
the story of the rebellious on 21l who
partakes in petty crime before being
sent to a youth detention center having
successfully escaped the center the
final shot of the movie sees Antoine
running on the beach before freezing on
his face as he stares directly into the
camera
what Antoine’s look is meant to convey
has been endlessly debated with various
interpretations resulting in many
different readings of the movie itself
is it condemning this life of freedom
encouraging it where will Antoine go
from here
does the open ocean represent endless
possibilities or does the abrupt end of
the shoreline represent disappointing
finality you decide number 4 the Statue
of Liberty Planet of the Apes can you
imagine how mind-blowing this was back
in 1968 Taylor and Nova ride freely on
the seemingly alien Beach before Taylor
sees something that stops him in his
tracks and sends him to his knees the
remains of the Statue of Liberty it was
earth all along doctor the way the shot
is composed is just brilliant as it
initially focuses on Taylor and Nova
before panning out to reveal the now
iconic Matt remains of the Buried statue
it’s an intelligent way to unveil the
final shocking gut punch of the movie
and it’s an image that’s been burned
into the public consciousness for
decades
number 3 the spinning top inception has
there been a more discussed and debated
ending in the early 21st century the end
of Inception sees Cobb spinning the
to determine if he’s dreaming but he
decides to ignore the result once he
sees the faces of his children the final
image of his totem kept viewers
enthralled and many audible come-ons
were heard in theaters around the world
it’s a brilliantly ambiguous and
tantalizing ending that has generated
endless debate yes we are aware of the
wedding ring so shoosh and Christopher
Nolan has stated that this is the most
asked about scene of his career such as
the power of a simple spinning top
number two the Starchild 2001 a Space
Odyssey the ending of 2001 is so
ingrained in popular culture that it’s
image has become one of the most iconic
and parodied in movie history
[Music]
once old man Bowman reaches for the
monolith he is transformed into some
godly foetus that watches over earth and
stares directly into the camera one
could write entire dissertations about
the meaning of this final image but even
if you ignore all the thematic and
symbolic implications it represents you
are still left with an unbelievably
stunning picture that can either haunt
your dreams or make you feel content how
do you feel as the star child gazes into
your eyes before we unveil our number
one pick here are some honorable
number one the door closes on Kay the
Godfather it’s weird that so many
gangsters looked up to the Godfather as
inspiration when it was clearly
condemning the lifestyles of its
protagonists this theme is perfectly
encapsulated in its final image when a
gangster closes the door on Michael’s
wife
despite insisting that the lifestyle
isn’t for him Michael is sucked into
this world of depravity and becomes the
dawn the final image is a perfect
metaphor for his transformation Michael
not only lies about his job to his wife
but she’s also subsequently denied
access to that part of his life
[Music]
the door shuts on his past life of
happiness and love as he now devotes
himself entirely to the dirty family
business do you agree with our picks
check out these other great clips from
watch mojo and be sure to subscribe and
ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 greatest
final shots in movies before we begin we
publish new content every day so be sure
to subscribe to our Channel and ring the
bell to get notified about our latest
videos for this list we’re looking at
the most classic final shots in all of
cinema we’re considering how the shot is
framed how it integrates into the
overall narrative and the emotional
impact it may generate will only be
considering the very final shot itself
not the entire closing scene and if you
like the track you’re hearing right now
check out the full song at the link in
kill us just a little
number 10 the victorious fist the
breakfast club is there a more iconic
ending in all of teen movie history as
John bender leaves detention he pumps
his fist into the air and the movie ends
on a freeze frame of his victorious pose
Sincerely Yours The Breakfast Club sure
it’s a little cheesy but this was the
80s so we can forgive it this shot has
since become one of the most parodied
movie scenes in history and it
encapsulates everything that makes the
Breakfast Club such a heartwarming
classic when bender pumps his fist into
the air we can’t help but feel a little
warm and gooey inside number nine Jack
in 1921 the shining The Shining
seemingly ends in a typical horror movie
fashion Jack chases his son through a
hedge maze and freezes to death and his
family gets away but then Kubrick has to
be Kubrick and throw one final curveball
the ending shot is a slow crawl towards
a photograph wherein Jack can be seen
with a group of partygoers in 1921 wait
what huh this final shot leaves viewers
Minds racing and it’s become the source
of endless discussion and interpretation
that said Stanley Kubrick explicitly
revealed in an interview with machete ma
that the photograph was meant to convey
Jack’s reincarnation like Grady told him
earlier in the movie you’ve always been
the caretaker you’ve always been the
caretaker number 8 mirror shot Raging
Bull Martin Scorsese sure knows how to
end a movie the final shot of The
Departed was one of the most
talked-about endings of the 2000s just
as the mirror shot of Raging Bull was
one of the greatest of the 80s it was
Jojo it was my brother you should have
looked out for me a little bit
in a final long take Jake contemplates
the idea that his own blind rage and
self-destructive tendencies have led him
down a path of ostracization and broken
dreams he impresses himself and his
flaws in the mirror relates to Terry
Malloy from on the waterfront and looks
back on his past glory by shadow boxing
it is one of the most beautiful
bittersweet endings in all of cinema
seven I’m finished there will be blood
sure the ending of there will be blood
has become a bit of a meme but there’s
no denying the dramatic impact of the
final shot it’s a beautifully framed
image that shows the resulting carnage
of Daniel psychopathy including the
brilliant depiction of the greedy Daniel
sitting next to Eli’s fallen corpse I’m
finished like a great piece of
literature there’s so much meaning to be
derived just from this final image alone
including concepts and arguments of
greed Vice sacrifice and biblical
metaphors I’m finished may mean
different things to different people but
we don’t think that there’s any arguing
with the fact that this final shot is a
killer number six
Ethan’s departure The Searchers The
Searchers is often considered the
greatest Western ever made and its final
debbie is returned to the Jorgensen
ranch and Ethan departs alone as the
door swing shut on his receding image
not only is the shot itself immaculately
framed and lit but it also represents
the finality of a genre Ethan a western
hero departs into history and legend as
the screen goes black behind him sure
westerns continued for a few more years
but film critics and historians
generally agreed that the shara peaked
with the searchers this final image is a
perfect representation of that peak a
final goodbye to a unique period in film
history number 5 on tuan looks at the
camera the 400 blows the 400 blows tells
the story of the rebellious on 21l who
partakes in petty crime before being
sent to a youth detention center having
successfully escaped the center the
final shot of the movie sees Antoine
running on the beach before freezing on
his face as he stares directly into the
camera
what Antoine’s look is meant to convey
has been endlessly debated with various
interpretations resulting in many
different readings of the movie itself
is it condemning this life of freedom
encouraging it where will Antoine go
from here
does the open ocean represent endless
possibilities or does the abrupt end of
the shoreline represent disappointing
finality you decide number 4 the Statue
of Liberty Planet of the Apes can you
imagine how mind-blowing this was back
in 1968 Taylor and Nova ride freely on
the seemingly alien Beach before Taylor
sees something that stops him in his
tracks and sends him to his knees the
remains of the Statue of Liberty it was
earth all along doctor the way the shot
is composed is just brilliant as it
initially focuses on Taylor and Nova
before panning out to reveal the now
iconic Matt remains of the Buried statue
it’s an intelligent way to unveil the
final shocking gut punch of the movie
and it’s an image that’s been burned
into the public consciousness for
decades
number 3 the spinning top inception has
there been a more discussed and debated
ending in the early 21st century the end
of Inception sees Cobb spinning the
to determine if he’s dreaming but he
decides to ignore the result once he
sees the faces of his children the final
image of his totem kept viewers
enthralled and many audible come-ons
were heard in theaters around the world
it’s a brilliantly ambiguous and
tantalizing ending that has generated
endless debate yes we are aware of the
wedding ring so shoosh and Christopher
Nolan has stated that this is the most
asked about scene of his career such as
the power of a simple spinning top
number two the Starchild 2001 a Space
Odyssey the ending of 2001 is so
ingrained in popular culture that it’s
image has become one of the most iconic
and parodied in movie history
[Music]
once old man Bowman reaches for the
monolith he is transformed into some
godly foetus that watches over earth and
stares directly into the camera one
could write entire dissertations about
the meaning of this final image but even
if you ignore all the thematic and
symbolic implications it represents you
are still left with an unbelievably
stunning picture that can either haunt
your dreams or make you feel content how
do you feel as the star child gazes into
your eyes before we unveil our number
one pick here are some honorable
number one the door closes on Kay the
Godfather it’s weird that so many
gangsters looked up to the Godfather as
inspiration when it was clearly
condemning the lifestyles of its
protagonists this theme is perfectly
encapsulated in its final image when a
gangster closes the door on Michael’s
wife
despite insisting that the lifestyle
isn’t for him Michael is sucked into
this world of depravity and becomes the
dawn the final image is a perfect
metaphor for his transformation Michael
not only lies about his job to his wife
but she’s also subsequently denied
access to that part of his life
[Music]
the door shuts on his past life of
happiness and love as he now devotes
himself entirely to the dirty family
business do you agree with our picks
check out these other great clips from
watch mojo and be sure to subscribe and
ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
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