10 Movie Scenes That Should Have Happened Off-Screen
5. Lincoln's Death - Lincoln
Steven Spielberg's terrific Abraham Lincoln biopic reaches its natural conclusion about four minutes before the end credits actually roll, when Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) prepares to head to Ford's Theatre where he meets his untimely end.
The shot of Lincoln walking down the hallway of his home to leave for the theatre would've been a beautiful note on which to close things out, but Spielberg indulges himself by actually taking us to Lincoln's deathbed as he expires.
Though the subsequent flashback to Lincoln delivering his second inaugural address makes for a stirring ending, showing Lincoln's actual death just feels totally unnecessary given how inevitable it is - though Spielberg at least stops short of showing the fatal gunshot itself.
Nothing is gained from seeing Lincoln expire on-screen, when fading from the hallway of Lincoln's home to his iconic speech would've made for a far more dignified ending.