Top 10 Plot Twists NOBODY Saw Coming

“The Departed” (2006)
The film that finally won Martin Scorsese a Best Director Oscar is, unsurprisingly, one of the iconic director’s most entertaining projects. “The Departed” focuses on the backstabbing and betrayal committed by undercover cops in the Massachusetts State Police. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Billy Costigan, tasked with finding a mole in the organization placed there by notorious gangster Frank Costello, played by Jack Nicholson. Colin Sullivan, a staff sergeant, is the mole, and is confronted by Costigan upon discovering this. For a moment, it looks like good has triumphed over evil… until Costigan is unceremoniously executed by yet another mole. The development is shocking not only because of its plot significance, but also because who would expect that to happen to one of our biggest movie stars?

“Citizen Kane” (1941)
The plot of Orson Welles’ legendary drama, which some have referred to as the greatest motion picture ever made, focuses on journalist Jerry Thompson’s quest to understand the significance of a media mogul’s last words. Charles Foster Kane, played by director Welles and based partially on newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, is seen uttering the word “rosebud” immediately before leaving this mortal coil. “Citizen Kane’s” final moments reveal that “rosebud” refers to Kane’s childhood sled, which the mogul had been playing with earlier in the film before being forcibly removed from his childhood home.

“Memento” (2000)
“Memento” introduces a number of Christopher Nolan’s hallmarks and calling cards, such as his twisty, complex plots. In this case, Guy Pearce’s Leonard Shelby is on the hunt for the man who killed his wife. However, due to injuries that he sustained in the attack, he suffers from anterograde amnesia and must therefore use unconventional methods to track the progress of his investigation. However, it’s eventually revealed that Leonard himself killed his diabetic wife by giving her a fatal injection of insulin, and has been killing men named “John G” at the request of a corrupt police officer — they had already taken care of the attacker the previous year.

“Parasite” (2019)
The first non-English-language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Bong Joon-ho’s thrilling, genre-defying class satire was a massive sleeper hit. “Parasite” follows the misadventures of the wily Kim family, who gradually infiltrate the home of the wealthy Parks by posing as household help. Although it initially seems as though the Kims’ scheme is going off without a hitch, the entire arrangement is quickly flipped on its head: the Parks’ previous housekeeper is revealed to have stashed her husband in a secret bunker underneath the house as a means of protecting him from predatory loan sharks. It’s almost impossible to lump “Parasite” into a single genre category, but its sheer entertainment value is inarguable.

“Get Out” (2017)
From the moment we meet Chris (an Oscar-nominated Daniel Kaluuya) and his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams), it’s clear that something strange is afoot. Chris, who’s Black, is nervous about meeting Rose’s WASPy, upper-class family. As if that didn’t sound awkward enough, Chris is shortly hypnotized by Rose’s psychiatrist mother, Missy (Catherine Keener). This plants the seeds for the reveal that Rose’s family, the Armitages, are masterminds of an appalling scheme to transplant the brains of their wealthy friends into the bodies of unwilling Black participants. Acclaimed by critics and audiences alike for its exceedingly clever approach to addressing racial politics in the post-Obama era, “Get Out” won Jordan Peele, its writer-director, the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.

“Fight Club” (1999)
Director David Fincher’s reality-bending psychological thriller is a modern-day cult classic, but it wasn’t always so beloved by movie fans. In fact, “Fight Club” was a disappointing flop upon its release, grossing just over $60 million worldwide and failing to recoup its $101 million budget. Over time, viewers came around to Fincher’s exceedingly dark, gritty vision, and chilling social commentary. More specifically, they were wowed by “Fight Club’s” wild third-act twist, which reveals that its main characters, played by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, are actually two entities sharing one body. Yeah, that’s what we’d call a reasonably strange time in one’s life.

“Planet of the Apes” (1968)
When three astronauts’ spaceship hurdles them over two thousand years into the future, they’re forced to survive and fend for themselves on a hostile alien planet. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the planet is populated by humanoid apes, who don’t take kindly to their fleshy visitors. Eventually, astronaut George Taylor discovers the existence of an earlier human society, which has been suppressed by the planet’s simian rulers. In the closing moments of director Franklin J. Schaffner’s film, Taylor breaks down as he comes across the ruins of the Statue of Liberty — he’s actually been teleported to a future version of Earth that’s been devastated by nuclear war.

“The Sixth Sense” (1999)
Oh, he sees dead people, alright. M. Night Shyamalan’s mainstream breakthrough, which saw him nominated for several Oscars, tells the story of troubled child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe, played by Bruce Willis. Crowe takes on the difficult case of Cole Sear, a 9-year-old boy who is haunted by the past… quite literally, in the sense that he can perceive and communicate with the spirits of the dead. The twist? Crowe is one of the dead people that Cole can see, having been fatally wounded by a gunshot at the beginning of the film. The twist was lauded by critics for its expert setup and satisfying payoff, and helped to establish Shyamalan as a notable film auteur.

“Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
A plot twist and line so famous that even those who haven’t seen the “Star Wars” movies know they’re coming, Darth Vader’s infamous reveal laid the groundwork for the rest of the series. The climax of “The Empire Strikes Back” depicts one of the greatest battles between good and evil ever committed to celluloid. The iconic lightsaber duel between Vader and Luke Skywalker culminates with our hero seemingly cornered, having lost a hand to the galactic tyrant. Attempting to goad Luke into ruling the galaxy with him, Vader drops the ultimate bomb: he didn’t kill Luke’s father, he is Luke’s father. If only there was a series of films that explained how he became so evil to begin with…

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Jason Lives, “Friday the 13th” (1980)
Mrs. Voorhees’ Son, Thought Dead, Reveals Himself & Sets Up the Rest of the Franchise

Grace & Her Children Are the Ghosts, “The Others” (2001)
A Suitably Haunting Ending to a Famously Spooky Film

A Secret Twin, “The Prestige” (2006)
A Magician Never Reveals His Tricks, So Christopher Nolan Does It For Us

Nonlinear Time, “Arrival” (2016)
Denis Villeneuve’s Film Doesn’t Take Place in Chronological Order

Howard’s Celebration is Cut Short, “Uncut Gems” (2019)
If Something Is Too Good to Be True, Etc. Etc.

“Psycho” (1960)
We wish that we could’ve warned Janet Leigh’s Marion Crane not to lay her head down at Bates Motel — the amateur criminal finds herself stranded at the legendarily creepy lodging on a prototypically dark and stormy night. There, she becomes acquainted with Norman, the friendly but eccentric young man who oversees the motel; his mother Norma owns the property. It quickly becomes apparent that there’s a killer on the loose, who takes the lives of both Marion and private investigator Milton Arbogast. In the end, it’s revealed that the killer is Norman himself — having killed his mother and mummified her remains, Norman developed a murderous alternate personality that mimics her. Next time, we’d suggest therapy first.

Which plot twist on our list shocked you the most? Are there any we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments!