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A story’s climax is a pretty decisive factor in its level of quality, and motion pictures are no exception. Regardless of how great a film’s first two acts are, if its climax isn’t able to stick the landing, chances are that the movie as a whole will end up falling flat. There are many factors that can make a movie climax great, and one of the most frequently successful is a well-constructed sense of suspense.
Indeed, whether it’s a thriller like Se7en or a non-thriller like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, cinema’s most suspenseful climaxes are proof of just how effective nail-biting tension can be in making a film unforgettable. Sky-high stakes and agonizing anticipation are what suspenseful scenes are all about, and the climaxes of these ten masterful gems of cinema definitely check those boxes.
There are spoilers ahead!
10
‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ (1966)
Sergio Leone is one of the most groundbreaking figures in the history of cinema, the father of Spaghetti Westerns and the author of some of the best Westerns in movie history. That includes what may very well be the greatest Western movie ever made: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, a bounty-hunting adventure epic led by Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef all at their best.
This trio of big-screen legends are at the center of one of the greatest movie climaxes of all time. We’ve grown to be so fascinated by this group of badass antiheroes that their iconic Mexican standoff, set to the tune of Ennio Morricone‘s transcendental score, is quite literally one of the greatest scenes in the history of cinema. It’s a simple sequence that oozes suspense, because we truly don’t know who will come out on top. In hindsight, Angel Eyes’ death and Blondie riding off into the horizon with the gold feels inevitable; but during the film’s climax, it feels like anything could happen.
9
‘The Terminator’ (1984)
Canadian filmmaker James Cameron is a master of many things. He’s a master of the box office, a master of the action movie genre, and—of course—a master of breathtaking climaxes. Many of his films have third acts full of suspense, but none make it harder to not bite one’s nails than The Terminator. It was only Cameron’s second-ever film (a very effective redemption after his abysmal debut, Piranha II: The Spawning), yet you could already tell that you were in the presence of a master of his craft.
The Terminator has one of the most thrilling movie climaxes ever, where a Terminator who seems like he cannot be killed chases Kyle Reese and Sarah Connor through a factory, costing Reese his life. On top of being emotional, this climax is brimming with tension. A villainous force of nature that endures anything the hero throws at them tends to be a staple of the ’80s slasher genre, and The Terminator‘s climax almost makes it feel like a horror movie. It works wonderfully.
8
‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)
Christopher Nolan is another filmmaker who always knows how to make a climax that hits the spot, and there is perhaps no greater example of that aspect of his work than The Dark Knight. This isn’t just one of the greatest comic book movies ever made: It’s regarded by many as the single best superhero film in history, a reputation that has remained intact for what almost amounts to two decades by now.
Largely, The Dark Knight‘s quality comes from its having one of the best blockbuster movie climaxes of all time. The first half of the climax is a fight for the very moral heart of Gotham, where its citizens are every bit as important as Batman and the Joker; while the second half of the sequence forces the Caped Crusader to face the monster that Harvey Dent has become. And throughout all of these scenes, Nolan’s exceptional construction of a sense of suspense never lets up even a little bit.
7
‘Mission: Impossible — Fallout’ (2018)
Ever since its Brian De Palma origins back in the ’90s and all the way until its recent conclusion, the Mission: Impossible franchise remained one of the most widely respected and beloved action movie series in the world. But there’s really no question as to which of its installments is the best of the bunch: It has to be Mission: Impossible — Fallout, the M:I film that also happens to have the highest stakes of the whole series.
Those stakes are at their most pressing in the film’s climax, where Ethan Hunt chases after Walker on a helicopter to stop him from blowing up a nuclear bomb. This entire action-packed and tension-filled third act is a big reason why M:I — Fallout is one of the most exciting movie masterpieces ever. Packed with death-defying stunts that only make the whole thing more suspenseful, it’s arguably the best climax of the franchise.
6
‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ (1957)
It’s not only thriller nor only action movies that have immensely suspenseful climaxes, and proof of that is The Bridge on the River Kwai. This WWII epic was directed by David Lean, the master of the epic movie genre, and it made it all the way to seven Academy Award victories (including Best Picture). It all culminates in one of the best epic movie climaxes the world has ever seen.
Colonel Nicholson realizes his foolishness in bringing a bridge for the enemy and, after being mortally wounded by his own side, falls on the detonator plunger, destroying the bridge as he dies. Aside from being thematically brilliant, perfectly symbolizing the madness and pointlessness of war itself, this climax combines high-stakes narrative irony, excellent performances, and intense moral conflict to deliver a sequence packed with irresistible suspense.
5
‘Jaws’ (1975)
It was Steven Spielberg who fathered the concept of what we now know as blockbuster cinema, and he did so with 1975’s Jaws. An unprecedented kind of film in not just Hollywood, but the entire film industry, this creature feature has aged wonderfully as one of the greatest horror films of the 20th century. What follows one of the scariest movie opening scenes of all time is a rousing tale about the conflict between humanity and nature.
It all leads to a climax that’s incredibly tense for the same kinds of reasons that The Terminator‘s third act is so tense. Here we finally get to see the shark unleash the full might of his almost-supernatural rage, as he ravages the Orca and devours Quint in a jaw-dropping twist. Technically, the whole scene is flawlessly executed; and narratively, it feels like everythign the story has been building up to this whole time.
4
‘Uncut Gems’ (2019)
After the incredibly suspenseful parade of pure chaotic tension that was Good Time, the Safdie brothers followed up their success with Netflix’s Uncut Gems. Starring Adam Sandler at his very best, this is one of the most anxiety-inducing movies of the 21st century, as well as one of the most intense crime movies ever made. People who love thrillers that make them suffer through their whole runtime ought to check this one out.
All of gambling addict Howard Ratner’s stupid mistakes come to crash down on him in the movie’s final act. In a sad twist of irony, it doesn’t end up mattering that Howard’s final bet pays off and earns him over a million dollars: He’s still killed by an enraged Phil, who then kills Arno and starts looting Howard’s store. It’s a climax every bit as chaotic, stressful, and impeccably acted by Sandler as everything that’s come before, and that results in a sense of suspense that should be able to have anyone watching with their eyes half-covered.
3
‘Alien’ (1979)
Back in 1979, Ridley Scott practically revolutionized sci-fi horror with Alien, a film that has aged like fine wine in virtually every sense imaginable. The franchise that it spawned has definitely had its ups and downs, but the original is still one of the scariest horror movies ever made, introducing the world to one of cinema’s most iconic monsters: the bloodthirsty Xenomorph.
For the most part, Alien is a very slow-burning film, and that’s precisely where the potency and engrossing nature of its eerie atmosphere comes from. That slow pace continues on all the way until the climax, where Scott makes us think that Ripley has made it safely off the Nostromo, only to surprise us—and definitely surprise Ripley—with the reveal that there’s a certain undesired stowaway aboard her shuttle. It’s an incredibly tense and scary scene, and Sigourney Weaver acts the hell out of it.
2
‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991)
The latest film to achieve the honor of winning all five Big Oscars (Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay) is The Silence of the Lambs, which also happens to be the only horror movie that’s ever won Best Picture at the Academy Awards. That’s hardly a surprise. It is one of the best thriller masterpieces of the last 80 years we’re talking about, after all.
Bolstered by Jodie Foster‘s incredible lead performance, the film’s final act is a masterclass in suspense, horror, and narrative catharsis. Clarice finally finds Buffalo Bill and confronts him at his base of operations, where he has to face the serial killer in complete darkness. She kills him, rescues who would have been his next victim, and escapes. It’s a simple enough confrontation, but it’s one so packed with nail-biting suspense that it’s almost unbearable how tense it is.
1
‘Se7en’ (1994)
David Fincher is arguably the modern king of the thriller genre, and there’s no film of his that better demonstrates all the reasons why than Se7en. This isn’t just a serial killer thriller: It’s a film so bleak and so cynical in its views of humanity that it almost feels like a horror film throughout its entire runtime, and that bleakness and cynicism are precisely what make its climax one of the thriller genre’s most iconic sequences.
“What’s in the box?” is a question that all fans of the genre are perfectly familiar with. In one of the best thriller movie climaxes ever, John Doe reveals that he killed Detective Mills’ pregnant wife, manipulating the cop into killing him in a fit of rage. Thus, the final sin of Wrath was fulfilled, and Doe emerged victorious in the end. It’s an ending so tragic and suspenseful that it’s almost difficult to watch, but that’s precisely the charm of a well-executed thriller movie climax.
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Diego Pineda Pacheco
Almontather Rassoul
