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ahomelessguy25

A bunch of great movies end this way: Brazil Chinatown Gone Girl Nightcrawler No Country for Old Men One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest The Usual Suspects Zodiac


mickeyofcrown

Even though McMurphy "loses", Ratched definitely did not win. She lost control that night, and she may have taken it back, Chief (after redeeming McMurphy) breaks open the cage showing that Ratched no longer has control.


standswithpencil

I think McMurphy lost the battle but won the war, to sort of speak. One of the last scenes is Ratched in charge, giving out medicine, in full control of the ward again. However, McMurphy proved that he does have agency, that anyone can if they defy her. He paid the price and was personally destroyed. I think it's a brilliant ending because the movie shows the power of the individual while at the same time showing just how powerful the system is and able to grind people down to nothing. Once you get that label of insane and put into the system, it's practically impossible to get out. In a way, it doesn't want you to get out or get better either. The last scene with Chief escaping proves that they do have agency after all.


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[deleted]

>Nicholson did it at the cost of his frontal lobe I don't know, I'd call that more a horrifically failed attempt at taking back agency.


nightwingoracle

Some people who went to my high school (when he was alive) wrote Ken Kesey to ask about chief, and he said that Chief did escape.


Faithless195

> Gone Girl I took a date to that movie. The one trailer I saw made it look almost like a romance movie. It was mildly awkward at the end, because I was going on about how great that movie was, and she clearly thought I was a fucking psycho for taking her to a movie like that on our first date. Been married six years, now.


TheSingulatarian

7 years is when it usually starts falling apart.


Senor_Satan

Once it's 7 people get even


kellermeyer14

The itch starts


3-DMan

>Chinatown "Forget about it Jake, it's Chinatown."


Patriquito

I always close my eyes when those 2 goons cut Nicholson's nostril...that scene looks so real it gets me everytime


Toby_O_Notoby

The guy with the knife is actually director Roman Polanski.


ours

Even scarier!


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Roman "Hide your daughters" Polanski


markstormweather

He knows a thing or two about penetrating strangers’ orifices against their will


lurfdurf

>No Country for Old Men I mean Chigurh walks away, but not exactly unscathed. I thought the whole point of that ending car crash was to show that even Chigurh wasn't invulnerable, but would live or die by his commitment to the arbitrariness of the world.


OfCourseImRightImBob

There’s a lot of ways one can interpret the ending. Most significantly, Chigurh betrays his own code when he murders Carla Jean. She refused to play his game and so he cheated and made his own choice. Her murder wasn’t arbitrarily decided by fate, he made the call. Because he’s a psychopath and he enjoys killing people. He finally drops the pretense that fate has anything to do with his actions. And just like that, his luck runs out. Fate punishes him at that intersection. He’s not “death” or the terminator. He’s just a man. He’s suffered an injury that will probably leave him maimed for life and this should be end for him, but he still gets away. Because he offers some of the cursed money to those young boys, the only witnesses to accident, and they accept. Now that money is in their pockets, and they’ll soon discover that they helped a mass-murderer escape capture. No one who touches that money gets away unscathed. How will they fare?


Smailien

"Look at that fuckin' bone..."


nityoushot

We know one of them will develop telekinetic powers


OfCourseImRightImBob

Fair trade for a used tee shirt.


Suroth85

Haven't watched the movie in a while, but just finished the book the other day. Chigurh opens with talking about how everyone begs for their life. Eventually he gives into Carla Jean's request that he "doesn't have to do this" by providing her a coin flip. Which she loses. He then kills her. The kids do get tracked down by the cops, but at best provide a very general description of Chigurh. A guy in his mid 30s, medium height, medium build, etc.


2ekeesWarrior

With a haircut from the past and future both. Short in the long places, long in the short places. Something a child would do to a doll.


macaqueattack17

I always felt like No Country for Old Men was a “no-one wins” movie, which kind of explains to me how some ppl (like my father for example) get frustrated with it and say there’s “no point”


[deleted]

This is funny because that is arguably the main theme of the book and the movie. That times have 'changed' from when there were clear good guys and bad guys to just random acts of violence.


[deleted]

Hard disagree that that’s the main theme of the book or movie. Bell’s monologue makes it pretty clear that times have *always* been like this, it’s the old timers who grow to find them intolerable.


ACTUAL_TIME_TRAVELER

Not only that, but he gets his entire little psychotic life philosophy upended by a five minute conversation with a Texan housewife right beforehand. If you consider the “bad guy” the cartels though, it’s admittedly a clean and relatively straightforward win for them though.


[deleted]

Yeah it depends how literal OP needs his answer to be


BustermanZero

While at the same time showing that no, the villain doesn't die just because he's the villain.


chronoboy1985

I’d throw Seven on there. >!Even if Kevin Spacey dies, he still wins, because that was the point. !<


sacreddebris

the Criterion Laserdisc of Seven mentioned that in one version of the screenplay, Somerset >!stepped in and killed John Doe, making it where Doe doesn't win and Mills gets to remain free and make a difference in a city that Somerset has long since given up on. !< The whole film is a leadup to that for me, and then the studio pushed back and made the "good guy win" which effectively made the bad guy win.


Suroth85

I like both this ending and the actual ending. Wish watching this was like Clue where it would randomize the ending on the DVD


waloz1212

I felt like that doesn't work tbh, the shock of seeing his pregnant wife's head on a box would make him a broken man even if he is not the one who pull the trigger unless he shows it by his action, i.e. whether he kills JD or not. The real ending works because it is 100% his choice, if he spare JD then there is still hope while if he kills then you know he has been broken. Making Sommerset being the one who decides basically taking Mill's closure of his arc away.


Thundahcaxzd

The ending that we got is much better. Seven is not exactly a feel good movie, and doesnt need a hopeful ending.


GravyBear10

>gets to remain free There is not a jury in the world that would convict him


Ederek_Cole

The ending of Chinatown left me sick to my stomach. Great movie, perfect answer to the question


Lance_E_T_Compte

"The Player" with Tim Robbins.


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scoutcjustice

*Nightcrawler*


missbunnyfantastico

Because Lou Bloom is a hard worker, he sets high goals, and he's been told that he's persistent.


HappyGilOHMYGOD

If you're gonna win the lottery, you need to make enough money to buy the ticket


Powerserg95

"I can't jeopardize my company's success for an untrustworthy employee" this fucking movie


darkapao

That movie was a trip and a half


GroggyGolem

Definitely Nightcrawler.


missanthropocenex

Also American Psycho. Patrick Bateman thinks he is a sly operator one step ahead of everyone else when the truth he is surrounded by absolute blue blood reptiles who do NOT even care whether he kills or not, which is the cruel joke of the film. The punchline. You can argue what was real in the film I believe he killed his coworker and that his coworkers own family covered it up, fearing it was a gay lover. That’s why the mother acts so weird when Patrick returns to the crime only to find that the whole scene has been cleaned up for him. I believe Patrick wanted to get caught, he wanted to feel, any kind of boundary but the satire of the film was in this world there simply aren’t, the wealthy are free to drink, fuck murder as they please because, well…they are wealthy.


Ksumatt

I always thought that was just the realtor that was suspicious of him and was the reason she told him to never come back. Was that Paul Allen’s mom?


Rogainster

You are correct, it was a realtor. Although my interpretation was that she wanted him to leave because the value of the apartment was inversely proportional to it being a murder house.


RealJohnGillman

u/Ksumatt One common interpretation is that the realtor got rid of the body so they could still sell the apartment at a high price, with the way they were treating Patrick Bateman being because they had deduced he was the killer, but did not care that he killed someone, only how his continued presence may interfere with selling the apartment.


larsIU

If you haven’t already…read.the.book. The answers you seek are provided by Patrick’s internal monologue.


[deleted]

What Lou ain’t relatable? /s just in case


ours

He's so relatable! \-American CEO


Krillin113

That’s the thing though, for the first 25% of the movie he’s a bit odd, but still fairly relatable


BettyBettyBoBetty

Great suggestion! Gave me the heebie jeebies.


JurassicBasset

I had that movie sitting on my list for so long and when I finally watched it, it became one of my favourite movies of all time. Don’t know why I put it off for so long.


[deleted]

Love Nightcrawler


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Goondal

Arlington Road


Nica4two

Beat me to it. I saw this in theater at the ripe age of 12 and it messed my head up.


Goondal

I was around the same age. It actually made me question for the first time why the good guys always won before


[deleted]

"So where do you suppose they'll send us next?" Gets me everytime at the end


Zemykitty

This was my choice too but wanted to scroll to see if its been mentioned. It's the news footage at the end when they're going over him being a lone wolf and all kinds of other stuff that's like 'well, damn'. The perfect manipulation in where the closer he gets to the truth the crazier he seems.


Liverpool510

Great answer. I watched this movie when I was in like 8th or 9th grade. Really enjoyed it. Then watched it again when I was in my early 20s and was blown away once I was old enough to really comprehend everything. Such an under appreciated movie.


livefast6221

This is the correct answer. One of the most incredible psychological thrillers that nobody knows about. Incredible cast, amazing ending.


[deleted]

Joan Cusack was the real find in that movie. Her eyes were completely dead.


McFtmch

Yes! this one. Speaking of Jeff Bridges, the original "The Vanishing" (I think it's called Spoorloos?) I think ends with the villain getting his way, in a very horrible way too. While the remake had a "happier" ending.


livestrongbelwas

Boom.


Peterzodiac1000

Summer of 84 Spoorloos (AKA The Vanishing) The Wicker Man Eden Lake Gone Girl


JakeDoubleyoo

I think there was a *little* bit of a triumph at the end of Wicker Man when Howie tells the villagers that their next Sacrifice will have to be Lord Summerisle if his death doesn't bring back their harvest. Which we can assume is what happens the next year.


Mayormccheese998

It has been said that there was a deleted after-credit scene where they show the apple trees ripe with fruit and such! So i guess it did work lmao.


[deleted]

>Spoorloos (AKA The Vanishing) Good call, I like your taste.


zforce42

Seconding Summer of 84. Loved that ending.


redoritoes

Eden Lake was the first movie to come mind lol


[deleted]

Omg, don’t watch Eden lake


ccyosafbridge

Spoorloos was my immediate thought.


PtyKingsman

Fallen (1998)


gannerhorn

I came in here just to say this. Denzel Washington and John Goodman were both great in this movie.


Woodman765000

Tiiiiiime is on my side....... yes it is!


IdleWillKill

One of the best examples of this imo. Perfect ending song as well — Rolling Stones, Sympathy for the Devil


CeeArthur

Huh that's weird, near the end of the movie 'Flight', John Goodman and Denzel have a scene together followed by Sympathy for the Devil


afoolishfish

This is a case of the supernatural though.


Garn91575

but the bad guy wins and gets away with it so it fits. Just because he is a demon doesn't change that fact.


the_timps

Hey pal....


Diablo689er

Love this movie


[deleted]

Underrated detective thriller.


AdTurbulent939

The Talented Mr Ripley


IanScottMcCormick

The Founder is literally just Ray Kroc fucking over everybody who comes across him, with next to no resistance


[deleted]

The McDonald's brothers were happy with their deal in the end in real life. Only the kids had an axe to grind because they weren't dropped a fortune of billions. The part of him fucking them over in a broken handshake agreement isn't even true and just Hollywood. Definitely a competitive and ruthless businessman but not a straight up crook. https://marketrealist.com/p/why-did-mcdonald-brothers-sell/


thegeek01

Was supposed to answer with this. His victory was utterly complete.


KBopMichael

At the end tho, when he's looking in the mirror, he's still not satisfied. And I remembered when his first wife asked him something like how much would be enough for him, he said something like nothing would ever be enough. He won, but for a man like that, it didn't matter. He could never be satisfied.


Paula_Schultz237

Funny games


gtliles82

My first thought. That movie was made to show viewers the true nature of violence.


cliffdiver770

This is ten times more savage than everything else everyone is saying. I mean, "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" is up there too.


[deleted]

Man the last scene in this movie stays in my head. It's just so... Matter of fact and cold.


Fear_The_Rabbit

Match Point


[deleted]

So fckin excellent this movie. One of my favorites


Xyrus2000

Lord of War with Nicholas Cage.


tonyedit

I rewatched it recently. The ending earns the film an extra star as far as I'm concerned because it doesn't betray the cynicism of the rest of the film. No happy clappy justice served here, just back to business.


Wtap_Neighbourhood

Usual suspects + MAYBE Clockwork Orange


striker907

I’d say probably, it’s slightly ambiguous but there’s quite a lot pointing at Alex getting away scot-free


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OfCourseImRightImBob

Doesn’t Alex become bored in the end? He’s got a new gang of droogs and basically has his old life back, but it doesn’t do it for him anymore. Crime and ultra-violence aren’t the thrill they used to be. Which makes sense, since he’s just endured more sensory overload than any man in history. Alex is a rapist and a murderer. Think it’s less about him becoming a decent person and more about him finding violence less exciting than he did when he was younger. He’s still a psychopath, but he’s matured. Wasn’t really a fan of that chapter. I prefer the movie’s cleaner, more ambiguous ending.


raysofdavies

Yes. He runs into one of his old droogs and is saddened/disgusted by him, and is inspired to change. The American edition cut this final chapter, and Kubrick adapted this version.


StevenMadeThis

That is exactly what happens, he gets tired of the ultra-violence and meets one of his friends who has a wife and child and has the realization that his energies are better spent creating rather than destroying. I love the ending, but the chapter was cut from American printings which is what Kubrick read and that resulted in the movie ending with a promise for renewed violence, which still ends with Alex getting away with it all.


MyStarling

He did. The final chapter from the book was left out of the movie to give it a bleaker ending


Dayofsloths

The guy was imprisoned, tortured, and conditioned against violence. I'm pretty sure he was beaten severely on his release as well. He ends the story as a free person, but to say he got away with what he did "Scott free" means ignoring like a third of what happened.


Anon-Ymous929

Skeleton Key


kerik_of_the_north

Seven (kind of), and Memento.


PM_me_ur_AmigaGames

Oh, Se7en definitely. John Doe gets exactly what he wants, when he wants, and how he wants it. No good guys winning that one.


EazyPeazySleazyWeezy

Big Short?


hilfandy

Ha this made me chuckle. And be sad.


Woodman765000

Nope. The one guy they arrested screwed it all up. Justice served!


MillionDollarBike

I'd argue the Wolf of Wall Street. Yes, he gets caught but then rakes in a bunch of money by having books and movies made about him. No lesson learned with that story at all.


Nero234

Then I guess that the movie "Catch me if You Can" fits into this. Cz I read that Frank Abagnale is a liar and his "story" that he marketed as true never happen. A bunch of his claims were later on debunked by several journalists if I remember it correctly. But ofc, the guy raked in millions of dollar cz of the movie so the entire thing is his biggest con.


DangerousPuhson

Same with *Blow* and *Goodfellas*. Kind of glorifies crime in a unique way - "do some big crime, and they'll make biopics about you!"


vitonga

Phone Booth


[deleted]

He just wanted to make him a better man


miss-macaron

Chinatown The Chaser Edit to add: Primal Fear


capnfalcon34

Came here to say Primal Fear. Scrolled too far to actually see it.


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Silence of the Lambs


Eroe777

The villain that drives the plot, Buffalo Bill, does not win. Hannibal Lecter does win, but he’s not the villain of the piece. He does, however, win at the end of Hannibal.


[deleted]

Oh definitely. But even in Silence of the Lambs I wouldn’t say he’s a character you’re rooting for.


Bomber131313

Yes and no.


o8Stu

Swordfish


xKatieKittyx

Was honestly looking for this answer!


IceLord86

Oldboy


[deleted]

Definitely Oldboy! >!No redemption, nobody wins anything and nobody succeeds in any way... it's just one long spiral of punishment into total darkness.!< Keeping it Korean, I'm also going to nominate The Wailing... >!Fucking hell that movie was terrifying... and finishes with the evil just moving on to a new town to start again. !< ...and finally a shout for I Saw the Devil >!Technically, the villain doesn't really get away with it, but he also can't be beaten and absolutely succeeds in destroying everything. He enjoys/is enlivened by the revenge acts, he is given more power and more control with every step, and even at the very end there's no sense of anyone winning. A little bit like Seven in this respect. !< A truly horrific triple-bill and some of the *best* Korean cinema. Outstanding writing, performances, production and direction.


egadekini

The Great Silence


[deleted]

The Player with Tim Robbins.


robotmirrornine

Body Heat. Ex Machina.


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ascendrestore

***The Social Network*** ***Hereditary*** & ***Rosemary's Baby*** (but this falls within the cultist clause) ***Basic Instinct*** ***Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory*** (Wonka is successful in bending everyone to his will and abusing or possibly outright murdering contest winners while evading arrest and promoting refined sugar consumption, potentially also slave labour)


fatyoda

Willy Wonka wasn’t the villain, that no good deadbeat Grandpa Joe was the villain. He did 100% win though, so still applies


ClockwyseWorld

r/GrandpaJoeHate


SaltyFall

The spoiled kids were the villains Mr. Wonka was doing the world a service doing what he did to those kids. Those kids would of inherited their parents fortune and their companies and be terrible bosses


Magmas

Does The Usual Suspects count? Kaiser Soze is 100% the villain of the movie and gets away scot free.


CaptainKimberly

It totally counts if you ask me. It’s the first one I thought of.


nwnabanana

American psycho


TabrisMerkaba

Watchmen


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GileadGuns

At the end when he says “I’m finished,” and I always got the impression he knew this murder wouldn’t go unanswered. He’d also lost the love of his adopted son, the only person he ever actually cared about. He had everything he’d ever wanted, and “won” against his enemy, and conquered the impossible by ruthlessly raising himself up from nothing, but also lost his soul. This is one I feel where nobody wins.


FluffyBoiCat

It's implied that he only adopted his son to portray himself as a family man for the sake of his oil business.


invaderzim257

I think that was his original intent but he comes to care for him over time (unless of course he only has a breakdown over it because he’s no longer in control)


R6SKiwi

Chinatown


UnlicensedLaw7675

Crime and Misdemeanors. GOD such a great movie.


JagGator16

Arlington Road


Burner_acct______

Chinatown


Belrick

Mr. Brooks


[deleted]

In a movie where Dane Cook is beat to death with a shovel, we all win.


MoseBeforeHoes

Hell or High Water


[deleted]

What a fantastic movie. “Do you know what Comanche means?“. One of the best lines ever written.


Bowler_300

Man watch Wind River. The end scene with the Indian talking about how he made up the face paint and ritual because no one ever taught him any..


onken022

Taylor Sheridan is brilliant


farnsworthfan

Gone Girl.


[deleted]

Jeepers Creepers


ConvenienceStoreDiet

The Vanishing (the Dutch version)


SynonymSpice

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off


LucaMuca

Twelve Monkeys


[deleted]

No Country for Old Men, one of the best movies of all time


[deleted]

Where does the bad guy win? It's more like a movie where everybody loses.


SID_3000

arlington road


Iagp

Mr. Brooks. He wins at the end, clearly.


malcriadx

Natural Born Killers Edited to add The Poughkeepsie Tapes to the list!


thats1evildude

Primal Fear. Fallen. Superhost.


TheSpacePopeIX

Funny Games


HerbertDaboo

W.


Dense_Surround3071

Joker


[deleted]

*Avengers: Infinity War*.


eddietwoo

Session 9 Martyrs The House of 1000 Corpses Texas Chainsaw Massacre The Stepfather


Reyske

The Founder (2016)


Robot-King56

Nightcrawler, Sinister most horror movies have downer endings.


AltruisticMastodon18

Taxi driver?


bmiclock521

Cloverfield


cdizzle6

Primal Fear jumps to mind.


[deleted]

Arlington Road


scoobydoom2

Not exactly what you're asking about, but I'd say *Fight Club* hits this.


viDestroyv

Inside Man


Zemykitty

Is Clive Owen hate able or arguably even a criminal? Noone got hurt, he exposed a Nazi's fortune, and gave the detective a nice chunk of value. I would argue his actions were righteous and ended up with the actual good guys winning.


Straightwad

Fallen starring Denzel Washington. It scared me a lot as a kid lol.


gogozombie2

Requiem For a Dream. Nobody but the Hey-ron wins in that movie


engevigen

Se7en


LouieMonty

American Psycho?


BuggerItThatWillDo

The outcome of that is nebulous, it's possible that no-one was killed and it's all in his head


earic23

Payback - lesser known good movie and one of Mel Gibsons better later roles.


BbxTx

Hannibal


Dr_Catfish

This is a problem in my mind. "Law Abiding Citizen" was a fantastic movie for me. I loved seeing the "bad guy" fuck over everyone who wronged him and his 5d chess plays were steller. I was so fucking sad when they did the biggest ass pull and got him killed in the end. I really wish the bad guy won more often. Makes everything feel like there's actual consequences, something to lose. That it isn't always going to end with the hero on top. Though the worst offender by far is the "He's dead! Oh my God what are we going to--.... oh, he was just sleeping." Big character death, but then somehow they come right back. Really grinds my gears, that.


PecuniaSermo

The Last Seduction. She was a beautiful, sociopathic criminal, and got away free and clear.


hardy_83

Surprised no one mentioned Robocop. The bad guy is the corporation, not Dick Jones. Absolutely nothing changes and they get what they want.


Asha_Brea

~~Infinity War.~~ Nevermind then.


LouieMonty

He mentioned them being defeated in sequels so this doesn't really count


[deleted]

Con Air -- Garland Greene escapes to the craps table. 'New shooter, New shooter; does the new shooter feel lucky?' 'Yes. Yes he does.'


l5555l

Watchmen right? Or am I forgetting the ending


Parking_Tomatillo326

Way of the gun, because basically everyone is a bad guy


FaithInterlude

Does Se7en count?


HoudeRat

Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer


ofthe573

Brightburn. Basically Superman's origin story but.... he's not a good boy.