Twist Endings

Remember 'The Usual Suspects'? Great movie with that killer twist at the end. When I saw it my reaction was 'Wha..?' I knew I was gonna have to watch the whole movie one more time to see if it actually made sense, to see if everything fit. And it did. Movies like that reward multiple viewings. Since then I have seen a number of movies where surprises and shocking twists are promised (Don't leave before the end!! Who does that anyway?). The filmmakers try and pull the wool over our eyes. Sometimes it works. 'The Sixth Sense' was great. I had to watch it again. Sometimes it's unnecessary. 'Fight Club' is amazing. With a dumb twist which fortunately didn't ruin the entire movie. Sometimes it's obvious. 'The Prestige' didn't surprise me at all. I saw that one coming a mile away. Still a good movie. Sometimes it's just stupid. Try every M. Night Shamylan movie since 'The Sixth Sense'. (It's not just his endings that have gotten bad....everything preceding the ending is pretty much unwatchable.) It doesn't even have to be a movie. The final scene in the 3rd season of 'Lost' blew my mind.
Now, why am I on this subject? A few years ago I read a book called 'Shutter Island.' And it is coming to a theatre near you. I recently saw a trailer for it. It's been made by Martin Scorcese (Goodfellas....my favourite movie) and it stars Leonardo DiCaprio. It's about a search for a mysterious woman who has escaped from a mental hospital. The hospital is on an Alcatraz-like island in New England. And a storm is a-brewin'. It's a good read. It didn't take me long to read. I liked most of it. Until I got to the end. Guess what was waiting for me there? A twist ending!! An absolutely ridiculous twist which made me question the intelligence of every single character in the book. It was infuriating.
I am not going to spoil anything right here. That's not the kind of guy I am. Ask anyone who knows me. ("Scott? Oh, the tall blonde guy who never ruins movie endings. Yeah, I know him.") But I will say this. When you get to the end of the movie you will have one of these three reactions:
a) Oh please. Really!?
b) Gimme a break. In the real world something like this would never happen. Not. Ever.
c) Fuck off! That's it?? That's the twist?? Fuck this movie.
You've been warned. Prepare to be insensed. I'll still see it. Why? Scorcese, that's why.