A cinematic twist can make or break a feature film. Some leave the viewer blown away, completely unable to have anticipated where the story was going. A bad one can upend an entire narrative, and leave the viewer with more questions than answers and forever nitpicking what was left unclear. The six movies below are the cream of the crop when it comes to twists. They each left viewers shocked at their unpredictability and opened up a deeper discourse on the movie in question. Suffice it to say, spoilers will abound.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
The Usual Suspects is a convoluted thriller told mostly through flashback and narration. After a massacre and fire on a ship docked in the port of Los Angeles, the only survivor is a disabled man named Roger “Verbal” Kint (Kevin Spacey). Kint lays out the story which follows, telling how he and a group of criminal companions try to pull off a heist and a criminal overlord known only as Keyser Soze. The twist comes when Kint refuses to testify in court and is released only for the head detective to realize Kint had fabricated everything—including his disability—and was Soze all along.
The Usual Suspects remains one of the oft-imitated twists in film, popping up in all manner of features including the Scary Movie franchise. But even if you know it’s coming, the movie still works as a slick, engaging crime thriller that requires multiple rewatches to get the plot nailed down. But it’s highly worth it!
Why it’s great for classrooms and libraries: Outside of being part of any library themes to twist endings, the movie should be purchased for its strong screenwriting and entertainment value. It can be utilized in tributes to screenwriting, Oscar winners, or crime dramas. Because of the nature of the plot it’s best aimed at high school and above. It can be taught as part of screenwriting or mystery courses, as well as how to craft a twist ending. It’s also worth showing alongside readings of mystery features like the work of Agatha Christie.
Read the full The Usual Suspects review here.
Get your copy of The Usual Suspects on DVD here.
Planet of the Apes (1968)
This 1968 science-fiction film is a loose adaptation of the Pierre Boulle novel of the same name. Charlton Heston plays an astronaut who crash-lands on a planet in the distant future fully populated by walking, talking apes. The apes have become the dominant species on the planet, leaving humans as a mute primitive species. At the end, Heston’s character, Taylor, escapes and makes way for the Forbidden Zone, a cordoned off part of the planet that was once a lush paradise. Upon entering he discovers the remnants of the Statue of Liberty buried in the sand. Taylor realizes that he has been on Earth all along, albeit one with a dark future ahead.
Why it’s great for classrooms and libraries: Planet of the Apes is a fun, if dated, science fiction film perfect for outdoor or library screenings aimed at the genre. Those looking for great examples of makeup work will also find merit in it. The script, co-written by Rod Serling, makes this worth watching alongside episodes of Serling’s Twilight Zone in classes focused on TV screenwriting or classes about sci-fi writing. This can also be presented in classroom or book clubs focused on dystopian fiction, viewed alongside supplemental reading of George Orwell’s 1984 or Animal Farm.
Read the full Planet of the Apes review here.
Get your copy of Planet of the Apes on DVD here.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
M. Night Shyamalan’s 1999 horror drama is a heartbreaking exploration of grief, mortality and the afterlife. Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) is a child psychiatrist struggling with the after effects of being attacked by a former patient. Malcolm is committed to helping young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment), a boy who believes he sees dead people. At the end, Malcolm realizes at the end that he didn’t survive the attack at the beginning of the movie, and has spent the entire film as a ghost wandering around. It is only after working with Cole that Malcolm is able to move on.
This is another highly imitated twist that came to dominate the movies of 1999 and would inspire other horror features like the 2001 film The Others. The magic comes from rewatching the movie and seeing how skillfully director Shyamalan makes it clear that Willis isn’t inhabiting the same plane as everyone else.
Why it’s great for classrooms and libraries: Libraries can utilize The Sixth Sense in curated collections aimed at movies about death and grieving, as well as depictions of the afterlife. Osment was nominated for an Oscar for his performance and the movie can be included in collections focused on child performers. Though the film is PG-13, the rather bloodless nature of the content makes it a good beginner’s film for older middle-schoolers who want to try out a horror movie.
Read the full The Sixth Sense review here.
Get your copy of The Sixth Sense on DVD here.
Citizen Kane (1941)
Cited as one of the greatest, if not the greatest film of all time, director Orson Welles’s story is a quasi-biographical story inspired by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Welles plays Charles Foster Kane. Beginning on his deathbed, the now elderly Kane’s final words are “Rosebud,” leaving everyone to wonder who or what he’s talking about. Told in flashback, the movie unfurls Kane’s life and rise to prominence, including his disastrous relationships and cruelty on his way to the top. When the story concludes, it’s discovered that Rosebud is Kane’s childhood sled, discarded and now burning on a pyre of unneeded stuff as the film ends.
Why it’s great for classrooms and libraries: Historically, it is one of the most significant movies ever made and is nearly required purchasing for libraries. It can be curated as part of celebrations of Oscar winners or explorations of Welles’s work as an actor and director. Film schools should include this in any classes aimed at filmmaking, from screenwriting to cinematography. Classrooms, high school and above, can make Citizen Kane part of any teaching on film as biography and examinations of artistic liberties. History classes can also utilize it alongside primary and secondary readings on Hearst, the history of journalism, or American business and capitalism.
Read the full Citizen Kane review here.
Get your copy of Citizen Kane on DVD here.
Oldboy (2003)
Park Chan-wook’s 2003 action thriller is a percussive, intense story of a man (Choi Min-sik) imprisoned in a cell for 15 years. He has no idea why he’s being held or who his captors are. When he’s finally released he is forced to put his life back together where he meets and falls for a young sushi chef named Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung). The twist is when the man realizes that the woman he loves is actually his own daughter. Hoping to find penance for his actions, he cuts out his tongue.
Why it’s great for classrooms and libraries: Park Chan-wook’s prominence as an auteur, not just in South Korea but globally, makes this perfect for libraries focused on curating South Korean cinema or auteur work. It can be screened alongside other films of Chan-wook’s including Lady Vengeance (2005) or Decision to Leave (2022). This can be used to teach South Korean feature filmmaking and specific themes indicative to the country’s filmmaking. The harsh twist ending has a Greek, Oedipus Rex-esque vibe and can be utilized in conjunction with presentation of Greek myth or philosophy on-screen.
Read the full Oldboy review here.
Get your copy of Oldboy on DVD here.
Fight Club (1999)
Based on Chuck Palahniuk’s novel of the same name, David Fincher’s film follows an unnamed narrator (Edward Norton) who finds himself adrift from his white-collar job and the people around him. One night he encounters enigmatic soap salesman Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), and the two become fast friends. Tyler, with the Narrator’s help, establishes an underground fight club, wherein men can purge their feelings. But when Tyler eventually engages in a plan to upend capitalism, the Narrator is worried things have gone too far. It’s eventually revealed that Tyler does not exist, but is simply the Narrator’s outward manifestation of the man he wishes he was.
Why it’s great for classrooms and libraries: Fight Club opened up a discussion that continues to this day about toxic masculinity. The movie can be paired alongside essays and writings about masculinity over time, as well as screened alongside Westerns and other depictions of masculinity through film history. Curated themes about literary adaptations would be right to include this, and classes on the topic can view it alongside reading Palahniuk’s novel. Psychology and philosophy classes can also use this to define and examine the Ego as well as various psychological disorders.
Read the full Fight Club review here.
Get your copy of Fight Club on DVD here.
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