All stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end, but movie lovers know that the ending of a film can make or break the entire thing.

Redditor u/buckzer0 asked r/AskReddit to come together and answer this question: “What is the best final scene in movie history?”

The thread is full of excellent movies with even better endings.

Beware of the spoilers if you haven't seen any of these epic films!

1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

In the U.S., everyone is innocent before proven guilty. But what happens when an innocent person is found guilty and sent to prison for the rest of their life? That's what The Shawshank Redemption is all about.

u/CrystalQueen3000 shared, “Red walking up the beach at the end of Shawshank Redemption.”

“I heard they filmed it later after test audiences felt there needed to be a happier ending,” added u/pizzarocks3.

Looks like the producers made the right choice on that one.

2. The Terminator (1984)

The classic action movie that put Arnold Schwarzenegger on the map also has a kicka** ending.

u/TheArchitect_7 suggested, “The final scene of the original Terminator. Sarah Conner stops at a Mexican gas station, and gets her photo taken, the photo that would eventually end up in the hands of Kyle Reese.”

“She looks south and sees the storm clouds gathering. The gas station guy says, ‘Storms coming.' ”

“She replies, ‘I know.' ”

“With some combination of resolve and resignation, she puts her Jeep in gear and heads into Mexico. The Terminator theme swells. F***ing amazing ending.”

3. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs has captivated and creeped out its fans since its release.

u/Remarkable-Ad-5793 replied with one of the best psychological horrors of all time: “For me, it's gotta be Silence of the Lambs. ‘I'm having an old friend for dinner.' Such a raw line.”

4. The Departed (2006)

This famous mob movie is all about undercover cops and undercover criminals coming head to head. Who will win out in the end?

u/d_inthe_wilderness suggested, “The Departed. Marky Mark always gets his man.”

Other Redditors felt similarly, like u/ApprehensiveEnd422: “Came here to say this, with the rat on the balcony at the end too?? Best Scorsese movie ever.”

5. Gattaca (1997)

This underrated sci-fi film grapples with disability and finding love when a disabled man purchases someone else's DNA in order to join the space-bound mission on Gattaca.

u/MacaronMelodic responded, “The closing scene of Gattaca is my favorite. There's just an elegance about that movie you rarely find in Sci-Fi. The ending is both simple and powerful. Gattaca just checks all those boxes for me.”

“No movie talks to me like Gattaca,” added u/nocarpets. “Sadly not many see the greatness of this movie. Best sci-fi movie in my opinion.”

6. Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket follows soldiers in basic training as they prepare to fight in the Vietnam war.

u/NorCalMikey said, “Singing the Mickey Mouse Club Theme song while walking out of Hue City at the end of Full Metal Jacket. Demonstrates the absurdity of the war in Viet Nam.”

7. Inception (2010)

Inception is a critically acclaimed sci-fi movie known for completely bending minds and changing people's perspectives on their own reality.

u/Average_Aloe replied, “The slight wobble in Inception is pretty high up there.”

“Amazing movie,” added u/DangoQueenFerris. “I watched it three times back to back when I first saw it. Just to take everything in and make sense of it.”

8. The Mist (2007)

This eerie horror film about a town shrouded in creeping mist may not be known for its excellence overall, but for its ending.

u/BlueFalcon89 reccomended, “The Mist. Holy moly. The ending made a not good movie unforgettable.”

“The movie was fine by itself, but the Darabont ending was great,” added u/artemishorizon.

9. Whiplash (2014)

Whiplash is all about the danger of perfectionism and obsession when a musical prodigy is pushed to his limit by his high-achieving instructor.

u/TheArchitect_7 said, “I don’t think I breathed for the entire climax of Whiplash. God**** what a tense and incredible ending.”

10. American History X (1998)

This film tells the compelling story of a man fuelled by hate who decides to change his ways and in turn, influence his brother to abandon hate.

u/stoopid_ape responded, “Danny getting shot at the end of American History X. It really drove the point home. Hate is corrosive and never ends well. Even after all the character development, you wonder if Derek is going to revert to his old ways.”

11. Chinatown (1974)

Chinatown is a tense and dramatic movie about infidelity, secrets, and mysterious deaths that keeps its viewers entranced the whole way through.

u/soiltostone shared, “Chinatown. Hours of craziness and plot twists, then bang! None of it matters. And the reasoning for the title becomes apparent.”

What would you add to this list of movies with unforgettable endings?

This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.

Featured Image Credit: Kiselev Andrey Valerevich/Shutterstock.