Thread

Movies with depressing endings [Spoilers]

· Troubleshooting · 50 posts · Jul 2, 2004 View original thread ↗

#1 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:14

Hello,

My top 3 favorite movies are:

Blow
Requiem for a Dream
Donnie Darko

All of which have a depressing ending. Maybe depressing is not the right word, but if you have seen the movies, you would know what I mean.

My question - what other movies do you know of have these type of endings? I love movies with depressing endings (don't know why :-)

Thanks!

Edit: Please do not post spoilers!

#2 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:24

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Bonnie and Clyde
The Dirty Dozen
Scarface
Easy Rider
Happiness
Angels With Dirty Faces
Sunset Boulevard
Double Indemnity
The Postman Always Rings Twice

Not to mention James Cameron's Titanic, but that's not so much a bummer as ridiculous.

#3 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:29

Ah! Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is actually my 4th favorite!

Thanks and keep the rolling!

#4 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:32

Irreversible
Funny games
The house of sand and fog

#5 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:34

Throne of Blood
Titus
Ran
The Professional
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Battleship Potemkin
A Bout de Souffle (Breathless) & Masculin / Feminin & Weekend (Goddard films in general)

#6 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:34

For the single ladies out there:

Looking For Mr Goodbar

Funny, though, I wouldn't really consider most of AB^2=BCxAC 's list depressing endings, but they were certainly not happy ones.

Blow's ending, though, really bummed me out.

#7 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:34

gohoward feels that the CNN documentary covering Howard Dean's run for President of the United States had a depressing ending.

#8 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:38

Ah! You guys predict me too well - "The house of sand and fog" is a tie for 4th place! :-)

#9 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:40

Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

It's too early to think of any more...

#10 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:41

The Haunting of Hill House
A Clockwork Orange
Taxi Driver
The Fury
Resevoir Dogs
Dr. Strangelove (or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb)
Medea (the Pasolini version)
L'Aventura & L"Eclisse (and many other Antonioni films)

#11 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:45

Quote:

Originally posted by paully dub:
Funny, though, I wouldn't really consider most of AB^2=BCxAC 's list depressing endings, but they were certainly not happy ones.

There's something about a movie that has the protagonists fail that is pretty wonderful.

My list is not so much depressing endings as it is films that end on a note where the protagonist is utterly defeated. I guess it's a fatalistic / moralistic thing.

But honestly, any business-type who says you shouldn't end a film on a downbeat obviously believes very little in the power of film to be cathartic or for audiences to embrass that. And they should consequently have their eyes gouged out with cold chopsticks. Or something like that.

Edit: oops embrass = embrace (sorry Danny Mcnamara)

#12 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 08:48

Seven
Leon

#13 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 09:15

Spartacus
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Godfather Part II
Das Boot
Donnie Darko
Jacob's Ladder
The Last Emperor
The Day After / Threads
Duel In the Sun
West Side Story
Chinatown
Wall Street
The Last of the Mohicans
Kiss of the Spiderwoman

#14 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 09:16

Rush
The Empire Strikes Back
Breaking Up
Where The Red Fern Grows
Old Yeller
Kids
Carlito's Way
Jacob's Ladder
Philadelphia
The Godfather II
12 Monkeys

I'd put some of these after some of the other movies mentioned above, but a good list of depressing ones.

#15 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 09:32

Here are a few I can think of...

Mystic River
Dark City
Hulk
Van Helsing
Deep Blue Sea
Pitch Black

Oh... and the last episode of the O.C. was very depressing.

#16 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 09:38

Fixinated!

#17 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 09:40

Fallen
The Bicycle Thief (this is up there for most depressing)

#18 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 09:49

Quote:

Originally posted by prokrast:
The Bicycle Thief (this is up there for most depressing)

Yep. I walked straight from film class to a campus bar and had a shot of Jack Daniels. A tremendous movie.

#19 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 09:50

The original version of Brazil, definitely.

#20 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 09:55

#21 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 10:22

Quote:

Originally posted by scottiB:
Yep. I walked straight from film class to a campus bar and had a shot of Jack Daniels. A tremendous movie.

And don't forget Bergman:
The Seventh Seal
The Virgin Spring
etc.

Another seriously bummer movie:

#22 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 10:27

Dancer in the Dark

#23 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 10:28

Harold and Maude

#24 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 10:40

the bicyle thief

#25 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 11:03

At the moment, the two that come to mind are

- Dancer in the Dark
- g:mt (aka. Greenwich Mean Time)

Oh, and most Japanese movies...

Also, 东宫西宫 (East Palace, West Palace I guess would be its English name?) seemed to be going a quite depressing way, but my DVD kind of krrkrkrkkrk'ed before I made it to the end, so I don't know if the ending is too...

#26 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 11:08

Quote:

Originally posted by Turias:
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai

It's too early to think of any more...

Great Movie. Have to watch it again sometime.

#27 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 11:09

Quote:

Originally posted by Eriamjh:
The original version of Brazil, definitely.

The setup for the ending is incredible. Gilliam did a really good job with that one.
Another "sad" movie: Schindlers List.

#28 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 11:12

Quote:

Originally posted by f1000:
What's more depressing is how you spoiled these movies for everyone else.

Or his taste in movies in general...

#29 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 11:15

Quote:

Originally posted by phoenixboy70:
the bicyle thief

#30 Fri, 2 Jul 2004 - 11:32

Jean De Florette