20 Most Intense Movie Endings Of All Time

2. Requiem For A Dream (2000)

Darren Aronofsky strikes again, this time with his extremely challenging, difficult-to-watch addiction drama, which concludes with a brutal montage sequence in which the four central characters all succumb to their addictions.

Delusional Sara (an incredible Ellen Burstyn) is left in a near-vegetative state by electro-convulsive therapy, her son Harry (Jared Leto) has his arm amputated after injecting some tainted heroin, his girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) is pimping herself out for drugs, and Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) is in prison and suffering through drug withdrawal.

Aronofsky directs the sequence as a carnival of horrors, backed by Clint Mansell's iconically devastating musical score and a quartet of magnificent performances.

The final moment, in which Sara dreams of herself on a game show accompanied by Harry, both of them addiction-free, is a shattering echo of lost hope and the perfectly miserable, sober accompaniment to the frantic nature of the prior montage.