Sunday, November 12, 2006

Why These Five Films Have the Best Twists

5. LES DIABOLIQUES
(Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot / Screenwriters: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Frederic Grendel, Rene Masson / 1955)
The ultimate classic twist. A trailblazer.



4. MULHOLLAND DRIVE
(Director & Screenwriter: David Lynch / 2001)
In a class of its own. Truly original and engaging. There’s nothing like it. Very powerful film. It stayed with me even long after I saw the film. (Naomi Watt’s unexpected exposure serves as a terrific bonus.)


3. VERTIGO
(Director: Alfred Hitchcock / Screenwriters: Alec Coppel, Samuel Taylor / 1958)
Well-written screenplay with an awesome surprise. It blew me away.


2. HOUSE OF GAMES
(Director & Screenwriter: David Mamet / 1987)
A smart and highly enjoyable film (a rare combination these days). David Mamet in his best form. (But its last few minutes prevented me from giving it the top spot.)


1. NINE QUEENS
(Director & Screenwriter: Fabian Bielinsky / 2000)
A brilliant film which I wish I could have written myself. Unbelievably tight screenplay. Neatly plotted. Every second is enjoyable. I never get tired of watching it again and again. Great!
Images from moviemail-online.co.uk, IMDb.com, kinexis.com, amovies.com

WHY THESE TWELVE+ OTHER FILMS WITH GREAT TWISTS DIDN’T MAKE IT TO MY LIST (Spoiler Alert!)

1. THE SPANISH PRISONER – I could not figure out how the book was switched when the book remained in its place during the entire scene when the switch was supposed to have happened. Otherwise, it's a brilliant film. A perennial favorite among film students.

2. THE STING – With a title like that, the element of surprise is completely lost. You just anticipate the twist every step of the way. But it is admittedly a well-made film.

3. MATCHSTICK MEN – Enjoyable and highly entertaining but the plot is too familiar (read: derivative of other con films) to still warrant surprise and excitement.

4. DEATHTRAP – Since it was adapted from a long-running stage play, it was too static and claustrophobic despite director Sidney Lumet’s efforts. He could not do anything about Ira Levin’s cardboard characters either. Highly entertaining though. A must-see for aspiring screenwriters who want to be entertained.

5. THE SIXTH SENSE – When the opening scene jumped in time to the next scene and did not explain what happened to Dr. Malcolm Crowe after he got shot, I already smelled something fishy. Call it either manipulative or bad storytelling. Take your pick. Besides, in terms of structure, it appears to have been copied from Hitchcock’s Vertigo. I admire M. Night Shaymalan as a filmmaker though.

6. THE OTHERS – Undoubtedly well-made. But since it came out in the heels of The Sixth Sense which somehow employed the same gimmick, it didn’t garner the attention that it deserves.

7. THE VILLAGE – The plot seems unlikely. Besides, it really looks like an adaptation of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s children’s book, Running Out of Time. Read the book and you’ll be shocked at the similarity.

8. PLANET OF THE APES – The ending came as a complete surprise. Great ending. Fun but too campy for today’s audience.

9. A BEAUTIFUL MIND – I almost fell from my seat when halfway through the film, my perspective of what’s happening on the screen took an entirely different direction. And that’s when the melodrama started.

10. WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION – A departure from the usual Agatha Christie’s predictable plot involving an isolated group of people disappearing one after another. Nice twist but it may look tame by today’s standard.

11. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE – Anyone familiar with Agatha Christies’ works would find the plot predictable. However, the final twist might still come as a surprise.

12. THE CRYING GAME / THE USUAL SUSPECTS / FIGHT CLUB / OUT OF SIGHT / MEMENTO – Simply overrated.

4 comments:

gibbs cadiz said...

i agree with DIABOLIQUE being on top of your list. devilish film! i felt so sorry for vera clouzot. :)

oh, but i like THE CRYING GAME and THE OTHERS! :)

Toto said...

Thanks, Gibbs.
I like The Others, too. It's in my list of scariest films. The impact of its twist was just hurt by the release of The Sixth Sense ahead of it.
Re. The Crying Game, I think the media hype surrounding its big twist raised my expectations too much. Besides, when I saw it in Montreal, Canada in 1992 (or was it 1993?), I was very very tired and sleepy. Maybe I have to see it again one of these days.
Again, thanks for calling my attention to these films.

Citizen of the World said...

Most of the films I have copies of are in the didn\'t-make-it list :-(

I miss visiting here. How have you been?

Toto said...

Thanks for dropping by, Dylan.
Quite busy lately.