50 Movies Where Evil Won
Some of cinema's best downer endings...
When you're young and naïve, you put on a movie and expect the good guys to win, not unreasonably. The overwhelming majority of movies aimed at younger audiences do feature good triumphing at the end, thus presenting a more hopeful vision of the world. Are such endings truthful to the real world? Oh yes, absolutely, but only sometimes.
We live in a crazy world of light and dark, of hope and despair, and, unfortunately, good doesn't always come out on top. As you get older, you'll encounter more and more films that reflect this uncomfortable truth, such as the following 50 movies.
They're a hugely varied bunch, ranging across many genres, many countries, and many different eras, and the only thing they have in common is that they all have downer endings where evil wins. Some of them use this device poorly, but refreshingly, an overwhelming majority serve as a testament to the power of unhappy endings. These conclusions elevate the entire narrative and hammer home the story's themes to devastating effect. In the context of a fictional story, evil winning can actually be weirdly great.
Kicking off with one of the greatest film sequels of all time...
50. Star Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Plot: The Rebel Alliance continues its fight against the Galactic Empire, while Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) seeks out an old Jedi Master to train in the ways of the Force.
For many, The Empire Strikes Back will be one of the earliest movies they watch where evil wins.
The original Star Wars concluded with one of the most uplifting movie endings ever, and the sequel flipped the script in the best way imaginable. This time around, the Rebels lose, the Empire wins. The Rebel base on the planet of Hoth is destroyed, Han Solo (Harrison Ford) is kidnapped and frozen in carbonite, while Luke Skywalker falls for Darth Vader's tricks, loses his arm, and also learns the most horrifying truth imaginable: Darth Vader is his father.
A New Hope concluded with the heroes proudly standing before applauding Rebels at a medal ceremony, but The Empire Strikes Back ends with the group vulnerable and broken, looking out into space and hoping, possibly in vain, that they'll be able to get Han back. This was such a change of pace that The Empire Strikes Back was actually quite divisive when it was first released, although fans later came round to it and it now enjoys the level of acclaim it deserves. Not only is it arguably the best of the 12 Star Wars movies, but it's also one of cinema's most elite sequels.