While we all enjoy watching movies where the good guys triumph, there’s something uniquely captivating about films where things don’t go according to plan. These are the movies that linger in our minds long after the credits have rolled, challenging our expectations and provoking thoughtful reflection.
A user asked the forum, what is a good “the bad guy wins” movie? Below are the top responses:
1. Upgrade
“I only saw it because I had MoviePass, and I was seeing anything that looked kinda good. I was so pleasantly surprised at how awesome that movie was.”
“Really enjoyed this one. Upgrade is what Venom could have been without the annoying wisecracking, “bloodthirsty” cartoon character. Came out the same year, even. Plus it’s even weirder that both stars are doppelgängers?”
“I can still feel how wide open my eyes were at the reveal and end. I sat there after the ending for a whole minute.”
2. The Usual Suspects
“I saw it in the theater when it came out, and it was mind-blowing. The whole audience reacted to the big reveal at the end, it was fantastic.” said one. “Came here to say this. Really brilliant storytelling.” added another.
“This is my all time favorite movie. The funniest most well thought out piece of human media in existence. It’s genuinely amazing. Fine I guess I’ll watch The Usual Suspects again” said another.
3. Primal Fear
“I’m glad this movie is being rediscovered and more appreciated in recent years. I know Norton got a well-deserved Oscar nomination, but I feel like otherwise Primal Fear was kind of forgotten for a long time.
Now I see it being mentioned more frequently, and that really makes me happy”
“Will never forget the shock of that ending!”
“I saw this movie when I was like 12 and my mind was blown and I couldn’t sleep for like a week.”
4. Arlington Road
“This should be top.
Infinity War and Empire Strikes Back are not the ending of the story, and as we know, the bad guy eventually loses.
This is 1 of the only movies where the bad guy wins, and that’s it, the end. He doesn’t die and win like in Se7en. The baddies just trick the protagonist big time and win.
Leaves you feeling almost angry, stunned even.”
“This should be higher. Saw it in theaters and was NOT expecting it to fold out like that. Tim Robbins was incredible.”
“Arlington Road was a revelation for me back then. It was like .. “but .. they are the bad people? Bad people can win in movies?!””
5. Fallen
“Excellent movie, bears repeated viewings. Last scene will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up! Not at all what we were expecting.”
“That was the only film I’ve ever been close to walking out of in a cinema but I am so glad I didn’t. That ending was one of the best endings I think I’ve ever seen.”
“Excellent example of a protagonist who is competent and clever, but still no match for a supernatural being. Denzel’s character went all out and still lost.”
6. SE7EN (Seven)
“I saw Se7en when I was about 15, it blew my mind. When I came home that night I remember telling my brother about this amazing movie I saw and he said he also saw and amazing movie that night called the Usual Suspects.”
“It’s been nearly 30 years I am pretty sure people know it’s pronounced “Seven” lol”
“I remember watching this movie and being completely blown away by the ending. It was so well done and it’s such a good movie to watch over again.”
7. Nightcrawler
“Interesting thing about nightcrawler is that the music was deliberately upbeat, life affirming, and triumphant when Gyllenhalls character is doing the worst possible things, but it’s because the choice was made that he is the hero in his own story. All his worst attributes he sees as his strengths. It’s another reason that the film works so well and adds to the weirdness of it.”
“oh this movie was so good, Jake Gyllenhaal continued to creep me out for the entire duration of the movie :)”
8. No Country For Old Men
“Great film, Javier Bardem turned in a great performance.” said one. “The weirder the hair/wig the better the performance” replied someone.
“100%. It’s a real masterclass in acting the villain, I put it up there with the silence of the lambs on that front. Bardem nails that quietly menacing gravity of presence that a good villain really needs to inspire real fear” replied another.
“Bad guy won, but still got hit by car”
9. Midsommar
“Midsommar, if you treat the cult as the bad guy.” a user suggested. “The cult is definitely the villain of the story.” another replied.
“Great movie. It starts out so dark when we learn why sis isn’t responding to her emails, then just gets worse and worse. This movie taught me what it means to be “blood eagled.” Ooof.”
10. Infinity War
“I went into it completely blind, expecting another superhero movie where the good guys predictably pull off the save… and was completely devastated. It was good storytelling but it was heartbreaking.”
“That was a bold move for a superhero flick. I sometimes think they should have left it that way.”
11. Starship Troopers
“It still baffles me that some people don’t get that the humans are the bad guys. Neil Patrick Harris becomes more and more Nazified over the course of the movie until he’s just wearing an SS uniform in the last scene.”
“It was like right in your face too. I watched Starship Troopers and picked up on how messed up humanity regime was.”
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The article was originally published on Mrs Daaku Studio.