Greatest Plot Twists
The more movies that are made, however, the more difficult it becomes to conjure up something original. Rank from the following which have best stood the test of time for remaining unforgettably shocking and continually untoppable.
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1
The Empire Strikes Back
"I am your father." So intones Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in perhaps the most shocking family reunion in the history of cinema. 40 82
"I am your father." So intones Darth Vader (James Earl Jones) to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in perhaps the most shocking family reunion in the history of cinema. 40 82
2
The Sixth Sense
M. Night Shyamalan took audiences by surprise by putting a new twist on an old classic: Instead of having a dead character turn out to be really alive (as in everything from Agatha Christie to Les Diaboliques), he had a living character turn out to be really dead. 38 86
M. Night Shyamalan took audiences by surprise by putting a new twist on an old classic: Instead of having a dead character turn out to be really alive (as in everything from Agatha Christie to Les Diaboliques), he had a living character turn out to be really dead. 38 86
3
Psycho
Features not one but two stunning twists: the climactic revelation that Norman Bates was Mother and marquee name Janet Leigh exiting the story early on by way of the world's worst shower. 31 75
Features not one but two stunning twists: the climactic revelation that Norman Bates was Mother and marquee name Janet Leigh exiting the story early on by way of the world's worst shower. 31 75
4
The Usual Suspects
"Who is Keyser Söze?" The answer is "Verbal" Kint, (Kevin Spacey) a weasely small-time criminal with a limp, and the least likely candidate to be the larger-than-life Söze. 28 76
"Who is Keyser Söze?" The answer is "Verbal" Kint, (Kevin Spacey) a weasely small-time criminal with a limp, and the least likely candidate to be the larger-than-life Söze. 28 76
5
Planet of the Apes
Charlton Heston's stranded astronaut discovers the Statue of Liberty washed up on a desolate beach, triggering the realization that this horrible planet run by beasts actually arose from the ruins of his own world. 24 72
Charlton Heston's stranded astronaut discovers the Statue of Liberty washed up on a desolate beach, triggering the realization that this horrible planet run by beasts actually arose from the ruins of his own world. 24 72
6
Blade Runner
Call it the twist that almost missed: Ridley Scott's noirish scifi epic initially confounded viewers with an ending hinted at by a single origami. 9 57
Call it the twist that almost missed: Ridley Scott's noirish scifi epic initially confounded viewers with an ending hinted at by a single origami. 9 57
7
Citizen Kane
Rather than summing up Kane, Orson Welles' reveal proves the complex search behind the man is more rewarding than the riddle that ignited it. 8 60
Rather than summing up Kane, Orson Welles' reveal proves the complex search behind the man is more rewarding than the riddle that ignited it. 8 60
8
The Maltese Falcon
The jewel statue of the title is not just one of the all time great MacGuffins but also a fantastic twist, when it turns out to be a complete fake -- a replica over which Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sidney Greenstreet have left a pile of corpses in their wake. 5 51
The jewel statue of the title is not just one of the all time great MacGuffins but also a fantastic twist, when it turns out to be a complete fake -- a replica over which Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sidney Greenstreet have left a pile of corpses in their wake. 5 51
9
The Crying Game
When Stephen Rea's IRA operative falls in love with a kidnapping victim's girlfriend, he discovers -- quite explicitly -- she is really a he. 1 49
When Stephen Rea's IRA operative falls in love with a kidnapping victim's girlfriend, he discovers -- quite explicitly -- she is really a he. 1 49
10
Chinatown
Audiences gasped upon learning, along with Jack Nicholson's PI, that Faye Dunaway's daughter is also her sister (the product of an incestuous relationship with sinister mogul father John Huston). -5 49
Audiences gasped upon learning, along with Jack Nicholson's PI, that Faye Dunaway's daughter is also her sister (the product of an incestuous relationship with sinister mogul father John Huston). -5 49
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