20 Most Intense Movie Endings Of All Time

6. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966)

The Good The Bad And The Ugly
United Artists

It's fitting that the most iconic western ever made also touts the most dizzying brilliant finale, too. In their pursuit to retrieve some buried gold, Blondie (Clint Eastwood), Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) and Tuco (Eli Wallach) meet up for a Mexican standoff to decide who gets the loot.

The sequence, masterfully edited and unforgettably scored by Ennio Morricone, remains one of the most exciting and heart-pounding final showdowns ever. But it doesn't end there: after Blondie shoots Angel Eyes, he reveals the location of the gold to Tuco, before forcing him into a noose.

Blondie rides off, and just as it seems like Tuco will hang, Blondie shoots the rope, freeing Tuco, while Blondie disappears past the horizon with half the gold.

It's pure cinematic bada**ery, reliant on a litany of perfectly-pitched elements - the score, the shots, the editing, and the cast - to deliver smouldering cool unlike anything else.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.