The Art of the Exit: 10 Movies with a Flawless Final Scene

As a writer, I know that nothing feels better than getting to that final page and typing "fade out." But then you have to go back and rewrite the whole script to make sure the final scene of your movie or TV show leaves the audience with an abundance of whatever thematic feeling you're aiming for.

You want to leave an indelible mark on the viewer's psyche.

So what are the movies that have done it the best? The ones who have those final scenes that make us cheer, cry, and even cover our eyes in horror?

Today, I want to go over 10 movies with flawless final scenes that every screenwriter and director should study.

Obviously...spoilers ahead.

Let's dive in.

1. The Godfather (1972)

• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Writers: Mario Puzo, Francis Ford Coppola
• Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, James Caan
• The Scene: Kay Adams looks at her husband, Michael, as he receives his capos. A subordinate slowly closes the office door, shutting her out.

This is the best visual metaphor ever put on film. The literal closing of the door represents the finality of Michael's descent into darkness and the total breakdown of communication and trust in his marriage.

2. Whiplash (2014)

• Director: Damien Chazelle
• Writer: Damien Chazelle
• Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons
• The Scene: Andrew Neiman enters a hypnotic drum solo and ignores Fletcher’s conducting until the two finally lock eyes in a moment of terrifying musical perfection.

This ending refuses to give you a "happy" resolution. It’s a chilling look at the cost of greatness, where the protagonist wins his mentor's approval but loses all of his humanity in the process. We're scared for him moving forward.

3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

• Director: Céline Sciamma
• Writer: Céline Sciamma
• Cast: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel
• The Scene: A long, unbroken close-up of Héloïse at an orchestra performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons , weeping and smiling as she remembers her lost love.

Okay, so this is a payoff of the whole idea of a portrait. We stay on Héloïse’s face, and the audience feels the entire weight of the film’s central romance through music and memory.

4. Inception (2010)

• Director: Christopher Nolan
• Writer: Christopher Nolan
• Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard
• The Scene: Cobb finally reunites with his children. He spins his totem, the top, on the table. It keeps going, and he walks away before checking to see if it falls. The camera cuts to black just as the top begins to wobble.

The Inception ending is one we debate around the office. It’s the gold standard of the ambiguous ending. And part of some great modern lore. It shifts the focus from the mechanics of the plot (is it a dream?) to the emotional growth of the character (he no longer cares if it’s a dream).

5. The Graduate (1967)

• Director: Mike Nichols
• Writers: Calder Willingham, Buck Henry
• Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
• The Scene: After the adrenaline of crashing the wedding, Ben and Elaine escape onto a yellow bus. Their manic laughter slowly fades into awkward, uncertain silence as they look ahead at an unknown future.

I feel like this is a famous piece of ending lore, where we know Nichols ran the camera longer than they expected, so that the grins wiped off their faces and the fear took over. This scene captures the terrifying "what now?" It’s one of the most honest depictions of youth and rebellion ever captured on film.

6. No Country for Old Men (2007)

• Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
• Writers: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
• Cast: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin
• The Scene: Sheriff Ed Tom Bell recounts two dreams to his wife over breakfast. He describes his father riding past him into the darkness to carry fire. Then, he stops, says "Then I woke up," and the film cuts to black.

The No Country for Old Men ending completely subverts all expectations of a Western. There is no final showdown; only a quiet, poetic meditation on aging, evil, and the passage of time.

7. Memories of Murder (2003)

• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Writers: Bong Joon-ho, Shim Sung-bo
• Cast: Song Kang-ho, Kim Sang-kyung
• The Scene: Years after the failed investigation, the former detective returns to the first crime scene. A young girl tells him she recently saw a man looking into the same ditch. The detective looks directly into the camera lens.

Okay, this is crazy because at the time of the release of this movie, the real-life serial killer it was based on was still at large. It was terrifying to know they were just...out there. By having the protagonist stare into the lens, Bong Joon-ho was forcing the killer, who he assumed would watch the movie, to lock eyes with his pursuer.

8. Heat (1995)

• Director: Michael Mann
• Writer: Michael Mann
• Cast: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro
• The Scene: On the tarmac of LAX, detective Vincent Hanna holds the hand of the dying thief Neil McCauley as the score swells.

The whole movie has built to this scene. We've watched as the cat and the mouse exchange blows, each trying to get their way. Despite being on opposite sides of the law, the two characters realize they are the only people who truly understand one another.

9. Parasite (2019)

• Director: Bong Joon-ho
• Writers: Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won
• Cast: Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik
• The Scene: Ki-woo writes a letter detailing a grand plan to earn enough money to buy the house and free his father. The camera then cuts back to the reality of his cramped, snowy semi-basement.

This movie is one of the greatest of the 21st century, and one I think about all the time. It is a "false" happy ending that functions as a devastating critique of social mobility and the dreams of the poor. The visual contrast between the dream and the bleak reality.

10. Some Like It Hot (1959)

• Director: Billy Wilder
• Writers: Billy Wilder, I.A.L. Diamond
• Cast: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon
• The Scene: Jerry (disguised as Daphne) tries to explain to Osgood why they can’t marry, eventually pulling off his wig and shouting, "I'm a boy!" Osgood simply smiles and replies, "Well, nobody's perfect."

I think you can make the argument that this is the best final line in cinema history. The scene is funny, subversive, and perfectly encapsulates the film's chaotic energy in three simple words..."Well, nobody's perfect."

Summing It All Up

These are my picks for the top ten movies with amazing final scenes, but there are so many others that could have been on this list.

I know you have your personal favorites, and I want to hear about them.

Let me know what you think in the comments.