7. The Wrestler
The Sad: In The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke gives tour de force performance as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, an aging professional wrestler coming to grips with the successes and regrets in his life as he tries to merge his career with the relationship with his estranged daughter and the affection of a stripper played by Marisa Tomei. With ailing health due to a lifetime of poor health habits and steroid abuse, the Ram finds himself at a crossroads at the end of the film as he competes against an old competitor known as the Ayatollah. His chest pain worsens as he scales to the top of the ring and leaps onto his opponent. The screen goes black, and the audience is left wondering if the counting in the soundtrack is the intro to Bruce Springsteen's song, the referee counting for a pin, or perhaps a paramedic counting chest compressions.
The Silver Lining: The Ram probably ends up dead here, but the guy said he wanted to be in the ring for the fans who loved him. What's more a fitting way to go than by dramatically pinning an old foe in front of the cheering crowd?