5 Refreshing Movies Where Bad Guys Win For A Change
If the movie is done right, seeing the bad guy come out on top can be a welcome change in the endless sea of happy endings.
All too many movies have a happy ending: the hero wins, even if only narrowly, the audience looks on in relief, the credits roll.
So it is quite refreshing when this cliché is avoided and the villain comes out on top, subverting expectations.
Here are five movies that do just that, but beware of obvious spoilers.
Funny Games (2007)
Michael Haneke's remake of his own 1997 film of the same name, this increasingly disturbing tale of a family tormented by sadistic visitors leaves little room for hope.
Even when the nightmare seems to be over, a shockingly cruel plot twist returns things to their horrific state, allowing the villains to escape justice.
Upgrade (2018)
This cyberpunk action film from Leigh Whannell was praised for a lot of things when it came out, from great action to a pretty solid plot.
And this compelling story of an AI called STEM that helps a paralyzed man named Grey, portrayed by Logan Marshall-Green, control his own body ends on a satisfyingly dark note worthy of the classics of the cyberpunk genre.
Watching STEM walk away robotically, having taken over Grey's body and pushed him into his subconscious, sent shivers down the spine of the audience.
Watchmen (2009)
Based on Alan Moore's comic book of the same name, Zack Snyder's gritty superhero movie has perhaps one of the most iconic villain plot reveals in history.
When Ozymandias, portrayed by Matthew Goode, is defeated by the heroes, he suddenly reveals that his plan was set in motion 35 minutes earlier, shocking many viewers unfamiliar with the original.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Another iconic reveal on our list, when the detectives realize that the elusive Keyser Söze has been right in front of them all along, posing as harmless Roger Kint, portrayed by Kevin Spacey, their reaction is priceless.
Unfortunately, it takes them too long to figure it out, and by then Söze is long gone, freed by their own hands.
No Country for Old Men (2007)
Javier Bardem does a fantastic job portraying one of the most compelling and complex villains in film history.
His Anton Chigurh is ruthless yet fair, deciding the fate of his victims by flipping a coin. And he completely evades capture at the end, leaving the scene never to be seen again.