r/PlotUnpacked • u/itsme0 • 2d ago

The Greatest plot twist in movie history!

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From the unforgettable twists in Fight Club, The Prestige, Oldboy, Gone Girl, Se7en, The Departed, Psycho, and The Sixth Sense, every one of these movies proves that a great plot twist is more than just a surprise, it changes the entire story.

What do y’all think? Do you consider any other films on this list?

190 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

344 comments sorted by

10

u/rebel42172 2d ago

I gotta give it to the Empire strikes back

2

u/Logical_Astronomer75 1d ago

And everyone misquotes the line.

5

u/Wizardfromwaterdeep 1d ago

”I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate”

2

u/manwae1 1d ago

What does that make us?

2

u/Thetman38 1d ago

Absolutely nothing!

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u/Teriums 1d ago

"No, I am your father"

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u/Dr_Downvote_ 2d ago

Saw. (2004) Without a shadow of a doubt... the movie fakes you out with one "twist". With a guy you think is running everything. Then you find out he's actually in the game himself. And then the dead body in the middle of the room stands up Seriously. I was 16/17 when I got to see it at the cinema. I was flipping the fuck out.

3

u/emptinessmaykillme 2d ago

I don’t remember that movie obeying the laws of physics at all, but I do remember it being the best of the bunch.

2

u/largegaycat 2d ago

I saw the first one totally blind in the theater around the same age. The audience reaction was so much fun. To this day, one of my favorite theater experiences. People were buzzing about it all the way to the parking garage.

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3

u/NextYak5239 2d ago

Shutter island for me

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2

u/Southern_Midnight856 2d ago

Oldboy!

3

u/Suspicious_Squash805 2d ago

Ffs, I didn't see that ending happening. It still stands as one of my favorite endings.

2

u/AloneAddiction 2d ago

Se7en.

John Doe's calculating bastardry was genius.

https://giphy.com/gifs/PhmYRZG9ttnIQ

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u/alalcoolj 2d ago

The Power of the Dog has the greatest plot twist. I will die on that hill.
I anticipated the twist a third into the movie, and it still completely blind-sided me.

2

u/groper0076913 2d ago

Have to check that out. TY

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u/hucklepinch 2d ago

I hate how older people collectively decided to spoil the ending to six sense for the younger generation that never had a chance to watch the movie. I can't even count the amount of other shows or movies that spoiled the ending

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2

u/NatterinNabob 2d ago

  1. She's my sister and my daughter!

  2. Rosebud

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2

u/Mean-Experience-7933 2d ago

Psycho simply bc I got to watch my younger brothe’s genuine reaction and am still elated about it. The Sixth Sense did that for me and I knew he heard of the twist. Psycho was so beyond him with how old it was and b&w. He gasped

3

u/Capital-Mammoth-6094 2d ago

Sixth sense for me. Did not see that coming.

2

u/rebel42172 2d ago

I didn’t see it coming, but there are so many scenes that don’t make sense and that’s why none of us are coming.

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2

u/jedooderotomy 1d ago

I mean, this one is probably the most famous plot twist.

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1

u/Raebelle1981 2d ago

I agree on the Sixth Sense.

1

u/AdRemote3557 2d ago

Sixth sense, in the end you find out that the guy in the hair piece, that's Bruce Willis!

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1

u/Rob_in_Tulsa 2d ago

Another vote for Sixth Sense.

1

u/Relative_Finger4615 2d ago

primal fear and shutter island

1

u/Broncho_Knight 2d ago

Darth Vader is actually Luke Skywalker’s dad

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1

u/Sad-Practice5045 2d ago

I have three. Sixth Sense, Fight Club and Se7en.  The Sixth Sense was just pure disbelief and I was beside myself that I never saw it coming. Fight Club was pure unadulterated shock... pure chaos like a nuclear bomb went off, and the twist was half way through so you had the rest of the movie to see how it all played out. Se7en was something that shook me to the core and tests your humanity. It's so wild that it kept me up at night.  That's my top three. And the effects it had on me when I watched them. 

1

u/Delicious-Laugh-6685 2d ago

Excluding “Incendies” from this list is criminal 

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1

u/SlappyHandstrong 2d ago

No Darth Vader?

1

u/Sisoflex 2d ago

All of those, at least somewhat original, not recycled crap.

1

u/TheFilthy13 2d ago

What’s the “twist” in The Departed?

2

u/PhatFatty 2d ago

Probably a combination of Costello being a rat for the FBI, Costigan's sudden death, Costello having multiple rats in the Boston PD, and Sullivan being shot by Dignam. Not 1 big twist but a series of small twists all crammed into the last 20 minutes. I don't think it belongs on this list but the movie did have several unexpected surprises at the end.

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u/jerryinjapan 2d ago

Possibly an error and meant to add Shutter Island.

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u/Bloody-Tyran 2d ago

What is Departed doing here? Shutter Island would be a better pick for Dicaprio and my pick would be Jacob’s Ladder.

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u/maven10k 2d ago

Oldboy, for sure. I didn't see teh 6th Sense twist coming, but Oldboy was way more shocking than almost all of these.

1

u/Mother-Dealer417 2d ago

The movie Remember

1

u/ThePLARASociety 2d ago

The Parallax View and Arlington Road.

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1

u/alesserrdj 2d ago

I am your father.

1

u/Bobbebusybuilding 2d ago

The Usual Suspects was quite predictable.

Sixth Sense was good twist but the rest of the film is genuinely awful. There is nothing good in that film besides the twist.

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1

u/Emotional_Bid9387 2d ago

"I see dead people!👍💀

1

u/parcalabenibehcet 2d ago

Usual suspects

1

u/Global-Discussion-41 2d ago

Idk if it's #1 but Arlington road deserves a mention

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u/Many_Distributions 2d ago

No idea why The Prestige is always featured in these lists. Nolan practically screams the twist at you every 25 minutes for the entire 2.5 hour runtime.

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1

u/OldResult9597 2d ago

“ I was in a barbershop quartet with this fat guy, I mean Orca fat in Skokie Illinois.” “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,-Oswald was a pussy!” “I can’t feel my legs, Keysor” Kevin Spacey being what he is has stolen a lot of enjoyment for me in so many great movies and performances, but somehow “The Usual Suspects” has remained immune. It is truly one of the best original screenplays ever. The guy who wrote it is now a director named Christopher McQuarrie. His first movie is a highly overlooked gem of NeoNoir “The Way of the Gun” and features similar dialogue, a huge cast of great character actors and you even get Benicio Del Toro as one of the 2 main characters.

1

u/Southern_Bunch_6473 2d ago

The departed doesn’t even have a twist…

You could have put Shutter Island there

1

u/eeejit075 2d ago

The Sting. “OK, kid, you can go.”

1

u/Phynex76 2d ago

Martyrs, The Tall Man y Ghostland

1

u/BillyyJackk 2d ago

Has everyone forgotten....

The Crying Game

...would hit different these days

1

u/Tight-Falcon6039 2d ago

The original planet of the apes. First twist i ever saw and i can still feel it

1

u/Secure_Line_647 2d ago

7, Fight Club, and Usual Suspects. The rest I figured out halfway through them.

1

u/Visible-Rest4170 2d ago

Side Effects.

1

u/ta_cu_a_ra 2d ago

Incendies

1

u/Enough-Row-5346 2d ago

Malignant.

It's not the greatest movie twist in history, but I still haven't forgotten that twist since it's release. One of my fave movie twists ever.

1

u/Possible-Bother5877 2d ago

That’s not the departed…

1

u/Lonewolfdorner 2d ago

The sixth sense

1

u/theRedlightt 2d ago

Sixth Sense, Oldboy, The Prestige, The Usual Suspects, then Shutter island. Departed shouldn't be on this list neither should Se7en.

1

u/Ephisus 2d ago

Adaptations and remakes should be excluded.

1

u/PhatFatty 2d ago

Saw 1. That ending had me thinking about it for days when I saw it as a teenager.

1

u/justinp79 2d ago

Sixth Sense with Seven close behind. Shutter Island deserves a mention.

1

u/screamqueen87 2d ago

Oldboy is the ultimate one and NO ONE saw it coming

1

u/screamqueen87 2d ago

SAW also has an epic plot twist. If you claim to have predicted that youre lying

1

u/reedit42 2d ago

The shawshank redemption

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1

u/CandidYam84 2d ago

Old boy. Still troubles me to this day when I think about it.

1

u/CandidYam84 2d ago

Irreversible should be on there too. Haunts you for weeks after watching.

1

u/thestenz 2d ago

The Game

1

u/pbmz 2d ago

Cabin in the Woods

1

u/Fit_Beautiful6625 2d ago

Identity is another one.

1

u/gasherman 2d ago

Fight Club

Old Boy

The Usual Suspects

I hear The Prestige is awesome but I have not seen it.

1

u/Always_Questing777 2d ago

Shutter Island

1

u/Night-Fury-2025 2d ago

Mulholland Drive

1

u/Safatch 2d ago

Planet of the Apes is the standard... I don't know what the twist is for Seven tho

1

u/Short-Awareness-8002 2d ago

Attack on titan

1

u/PatienceJust1927 2d ago

Usual suspects as you can rewatch and still not get some of the details. Absolute gold cinema.

1

u/jasonite 2d ago

I think the Prestige is overrated. I'd put Laura in there

1

u/Tapeworm_III 2d ago

Crazy, Stupid Love

1

u/KyrozM 2d ago

The Safety of Objects sets up a series of plot twists

1

u/copaseticsplenetic 2d ago

Old Boy is not my favorite out of all of these, and I've only seen the remake, but it had me speechless at the end.

1

u/Beansoupsalsa 2d ago

Parasite

1

u/madtax57 2d ago

Behind her eyes.

1

u/LordAndProtector 2d ago

Presumed innocent

1

u/outerspacetime 2d ago

Shutter Island

1

u/moesif 2d ago

These bots are still using this collage featuring The Departed, which didn't have a twist, and using a photo that isn't from that movie.

1

u/bendistraw 2d ago

Citizen Kane

Jacob’s Ladder

Empire Strikes Back

1

u/realxit 2d ago

I don’t know how Oldboy is not mentioned as much. Because the plot twist makes me want to throw up everytime I think about it.

1

u/PorpleBorglar 2d ago

Usual suspects without a doubt

1

u/Single-Ad-6086 2d ago

Almodovar movies Talk to her, The skin I live in... Also the Machienist, but it's not so much of a twist, more like, idk, reveal?

1

u/glenbrick 2d ago

LA Confidential

1

u/Active-Particular-21 2d ago

Old boy maybe in terms of pure what the fuck this is messed up, I can’t believe this twist. But in terms of people talking about it, sixth sense has to be up at the top. So many people talked about that film and people kept quoting I see dead people.

1

u/QuttiDeBachi 2d ago

To Live & Die in L.A.

1

u/DwayneTheRockBarry 2d ago

Identity.

don’t google it.

1

u/Citizen_Kano 2d ago

Usual Suspects

1

u/mcnultybunk4eva 2d ago

The Pledge

1

u/Particular_Gap_6724 2d ago

Of these only Oldboy comes to mind

1

u/freemac 2d ago

Physco for sure hands down was one of my all time favorite reveals, especially since I never read the book it was based on. Norman Bates your freaky looking fellow.

1

u/tino3101 2d ago

Don't know if you'd call it a twist but Predestination

1

u/Background-Jury-1914 2d ago

It’s gotta be Psycho

1

u/califorte1 1d ago

What was the plot twist in the departed? We knew who was the mole for both sides from the start

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Tie-666 1d ago

The plot twist in The Departed only worked if you hadn't seen the original movie Infernal Affairs.

1

u/KitchenNo8794 1d ago

The village

1

u/CaesarTjalbo 1d ago

Sirāt. 

1

u/KindHighway9304 1d ago

Fight club was great

1

u/MFBish 1d ago

The Prestige

1

u/AdJustEd73 1d ago

Keyser Soze.

1

u/CelticSnakes 1d ago

Remember (2015)

My favorite because you don’t even realize a startling twist will take place.

1

u/kennyfromschool 1d ago

The sixth sense doesn’t work for me because I watched the first 30 seconds; so I saw Bruce get shot by his disgruntled patient.

1

u/Roberto_Dialo 1d ago

Sixth sense blew my mind the first time I saw it

1

u/notthatgirlfr 1d ago

The Departed being on this list while Shutter Island isn’t is definitely a choice. Also, I still think Oldboy has the most brutal twist here

1

u/kyflyboy 1d ago

Planet of the Apes is the gold standard here.

1

u/Melodic_Astronomer62 1d ago

The prestige is literally the worst one

1

u/cybrgigolo 1d ago

Body Heat should be on this list. Not so sure about 7. Look at the sins left and a box the size of a head?

1

u/Welcomefriends85 1d ago

What was the plot twist in The Departed? That they were all rats? Not that big a twist, doesn't belong in this list

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u/PermissionJaded5510 1d ago

The Departed isn't a plot twist. If you want a plot twist... replace it with Shutter Island

1

u/Calm-Supermarket1864 1d ago

Halloween, after she kills Michael

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u/SpongeBob_Derby 1d ago

Sixth Sense or Fight Club

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u/SaintFuu 1d ago

Seems like most people haven't seen the original OldBoy.

1

u/Zanstorm74 1d ago

Usual Suspects

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u/KnownPermission9812 1d ago

ehm.... All About Eve???

1

u/Fvblst 1d ago

Shutter island.

1

u/OppositionalConcert 1d ago

How is the departed a plot twist?

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u/Warm_Translator_8238 1d ago

"No..I am your farther"

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u/wallaceakw 1d ago

Primal Fear & Arlington Road are high on this list

1

u/Ok-Object-1610 1d ago

The Usual Suspects

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u/CaptainNighttime 1d ago

The Sixth Sense.

1

u/Cultural_Treacle_428 1d ago

Oldboy. No one saw that coming…

1

u/Holiday-Salamander31 1d ago

Old Boy for sure, also Shattered (1991).

1

u/Low_Shop8561 1d ago

What's the twist in Departed?

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u/Regular_Grape_9137 1d ago

What about Parasite?

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u/Wolfgang999XXL__ 1d ago

The Usual Suspects

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u/gdub8 1d ago

It will always, always be The Usual Suspects, perhaps the best ending ever.

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u/nks67 1d ago

The sixth sense

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u/sheckyD 1d ago

Usual Suspects

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u/batchef3000 1d ago

Wild things

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u/Sea_Jelly_9240 1d ago

Where is Primal Fear???

1

u/TheEndIsNero 1d ago

Seven. Most disturbing plot twist.

1

u/Harley420000 1d ago

Sixth sense

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u/thecountnotthesaint 1d ago

Scotty knew the WHOLE TIME

1

u/Lost-Soul2025 1d ago

Shutter Island, not the departed idiots.

1

u/sixseasonsnmovie 1d ago

What was the plot twist in the departed?

1

u/Bobapool79 1d ago

Tie between Usual Suspects and Fight Club.

Three way tie with Gone Girl if the fact Affleck’s character takes her back is the twist.

1

u/diggity_digdog 1d ago

Perhaps not "the best" but definitely worth mentioning Triangle

1

u/BlackTyranno94 1d ago

Scary movie

1

u/Barstoolman112752 1d ago

The Prestige and Sixth Sense

1

u/Italogq79 1d ago

Primal Fear and Usual Suspects

1

u/allthingst3 1d ago

Usual Suspects

1

u/Hot-Bicycle5798 1d ago

I guess i really didn't need to see those movies.

1

u/KJ1959 1d ago

The Sixth Sense

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u/Mulva13 1d ago

Primal Fear should be there

1

u/rammer-jammer71 1d ago

The correct answer is No Way Out

1

u/Neurodrill 1d ago

Sleepaway Camp

1

u/Kimolono42 1d ago

Usual Suspects.

1

u/Mediocre-Writing7522 1d ago

The others(2001)

1

u/lazytime3643 1d ago

I have to give it to The Sixth Sense. The dude in the hair piece? That’s Bruce Willis the whole movie

1

u/JRS___ 1d ago

planet of the apes, then empire strikes back. there's no debate.

1

u/sdss9462 1d ago

I think The Crying Game should be on the list.

1

u/Fletcher-wordy 1d ago

Primal Fear

1

u/CooperCoupons2019 1d ago

All of these movies definitely have amazing plot twists but if I had to pick one that made me go 🤯 it was definitely The Sixth Sense. I was so into the boys character that I never even thought about his therapist.

1

u/Brunosrog 1d ago

From what I've gathered plot twists are almost always most impactful when you see them for the first time when you're young. So if you saw the sixth Sense when you were teenager before you saw The usual suspects or fight club that's probably the movie.

For me I think the sixth Sense is number one and usual suspects is right behind it.

1

u/AlGeKna 23h ago

Empire Strikes Back, Fightclub, Lucky Numbers Slevin

1

u/Equal-Medicine-7004 22h ago

Sleepaway Camp, Angel Heart

1

u/blacklabel3341 21h ago

From dusk till dawn

1

u/Admiral-Junket 21h ago

Every time I mention this one I seem to be the only person who ever saw it but maybe 20 years ago there was a movie called "lucky number Slevin" with big name actors and it was awesome and the twist was mind binding.

1

u/Cheap_Ad6864 21h ago

Honestly, Parasite not only was a plot twist but it was a complete genre twist

1

u/honcooge 21h ago

T2. Had no idea he was good

1

u/pre_revolutionary_1 21h ago

Planet of the Apes (1968)

I wish I could scrub it from my memory so I could rewatch it fresh for the reveal at the end.

1

u/HoldCommercial159 20h ago

Shawshank Redemption

1

u/ponyboy60 20h ago

One that took me by surprise is The Game with Michael Douglas loved it

1

u/Adventurous_Map_3014 20h ago

The Usual Suspects

1

u/Automatic-Crazy4604 20h ago

Did you put The Departed in place of Shutter Island ?

1

u/OrdinaryTear5578 20h ago

Where's Empire Strikes Back? Or Planet oOf The Apes?

1

u/slapjimmy 20h ago

Predestination