10 Greatest Fake Out Endings In Movies

10. Vice

Adam McKay's relentlessly sarcastic Dick Cheney biopic Vice drops a credits fake-out at the end of its first act that, despite McKay's typically irreverent tone, is wildly unexpected.

At this point in the story, Cheney (Christian Bale) has served as Secretary of Defense under President George H. W. Bush, as sets him on a path to become George W. Bush's (Sam Rockwell) running mate during the 2000 U.S. presidential election.

But before that, McKay imagines an alternate future for Cheney, where he puts his political aspirations to the wayside and retires from public life to breed golden retrievers, while his noted health issues are resolved and he even competes in Ironman competitions around the world.

It's at this point that even the most politically oblivious viewer likely realises that something is off, and just then, the end credits roll to a triumphant, upbeat orchestral swell.

A few seconds later, though, we hear Dick's phone ring, and we're ripped out of this false finish and brought back to the bleaker reality of Cheney being invited to run alongside George Dubya. It's brilliantly bold filmmaking, but oh-so-depressing.