I debated between a couple of dark movies but I settled on Presumed Innocent (1990) with Harrison Ford on trial for murder. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it but it seems like a pretty straightforward murder mystery until the last few scenes when there are at least three unexpected twists that make you go, "Wait, what?" I don't know if I'd call it satisfying but it definitely ties up loose ends that you didn't even know needed tied.
I really enjoyed Knives Out and how well they play out the sequence of events. Smart. Quirky. Well written. Surprisingly enjoyable since I haven’t really liked anything rolling out of Hollywood in the past few years.
At the end, you know what happened and why, and it's entertaining along the way. Now, there's no justice dealt out, but that wasn't one of the criteria AFAIK. It's a mug's game looking for justice on this vale of tears anyway. Forget it, Jake.
Yes, but apart from the Jack Nicholson & Faye Dunaway characters, it's almost all "bad guys" in the film. I find it satisfying that justice is not done because that's what one expects to happen in the world of "Chinatown." Anything else would be false.
And IMHO, having a "false" ending would not fit the criteria given for this MFC.
The Fugitive. (Is it a mystery though? I guess the killer’s identity is.) Harrison Ford fixes everything at the end, leads the cops to his wife’s real killer, the entire movie premise is a prescient foreshadow of recent pharmaceutical related events in our country… and Tommy Lee Jones marvels at the Good doctor’s ability to tie all the loose ends while being hunted down.
Thanks to Kris for reminding me about this one: Charade, with Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, and Walter Matthau, whom I’d never seen in anything before besides Grumpy/Grumpier Old Men and he was marvelous. Charade keeps you guessing until the end, and then you’re relieved, and puzzled, and you kinda want to go back through and rewatch it all over again to pick up on the things you missed.
Ding! Ding! Ding! And there's the bell. Looks like we have a split decision between Maggie and Knives Out and Dan and Chinatown. According to MFC rules the member who posted the question will break the tie and choose the winner. Standby while the judge reviews the scorecards.
Though it had more language than I normally recommend, I going to have to throw a Michael Douglas and Sean Penn movie in the mix with 1997 bringing us The Game. It was a pretty intense mind trip throughout, and the ending was crazy!
Wow, so many choices! Maggie took my first thought. I love Grant in North by Northwest and Charade. LA Confidential is good albeit gritty. What Lies Beneath troubled me. Mystic River haunted me for awhile. I'm going with Shutter Island because it was different than previous mysteries. And it's one of those you think you've figured out, which just makes things more intense because you don't want it to be what you think it is.
I debated between a couple of dark movies but I settled on Presumed Innocent (1990) with Harrison Ford on trial for murder. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it but it seems like a pretty straightforward murder mystery until the last few scenes when there are at least three unexpected twists that make you go, "Wait, what?" I don't know if I'd call it satisfying but it definitely ties up loose ends that you didn't even know needed tied.
This one may come down to another tie tomorrow. Dan and Maggie better have a question ready in case I email you tomorrow.
I really enjoyed Knives Out and how well they play out the sequence of events. Smart. Quirky. Well written. Surprisingly enjoyable since I haven’t really liked anything rolling out of Hollywood in the past few years.
Knives Out. Final answer.
Chinatown. Official answer.
At the end, you know what happened and why, and it's entertaining along the way. Now, there's no justice dealt out, but that wasn't one of the criteria AFAIK. It's a mug's game looking for justice on this vale of tears anyway. Forget it, Jake.
Wellll, if there’s no justice in it, that would make it less satisfying in my book. I haven’t seen it, though…so the bad guys get away?
Yes, but apart from the Jack Nicholson & Faye Dunaway characters, it's almost all "bad guys" in the film. I find it satisfying that justice is not done because that's what one expects to happen in the world of "Chinatown." Anything else would be false.
And IMHO, having a "false" ending would not fit the criteria given for this MFC.
The Fugitive. (Is it a mystery though? I guess the killer’s identity is.) Harrison Ford fixes everything at the end, leads the cops to his wife’s real killer, the entire movie premise is a prescient foreshadow of recent pharmaceutical related events in our country… and Tommy Lee Jones marvels at the Good doctor’s ability to tie all the loose ends while being hunted down.
Jenn throws down a strong last minute entry. Bringing the heat!
Thanks to Kris for reminding me about this one: Charade, with Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, and Walter Matthau, whom I’d never seen in anything before besides Grumpy/Grumpier Old Men and he was marvelous. Charade keeps you guessing until the end, and then you’re relieved, and puzzled, and you kinda want to go back through and rewatch it all over again to pick up on the things you missed.
Ding! Ding! Ding! And there's the bell. Looks like we have a split decision between Maggie and Knives Out and Dan and Chinatown. According to MFC rules the member who posted the question will break the tie and choose the winner. Standby while the judge reviews the scorecards.
Maggie wins. Movies with justice are more satisfying in my book than movies without, even if it’s still a solid, true ending. 😁
Though it had more language than I normally recommend, I going to have to throw a Michael Douglas and Sean Penn movie in the mix with 1997 bringing us The Game. It was a pretty intense mind trip throughout, and the ending was crazy!
The Game. Final answer.
Wow, so many choices! Maggie took my first thought. I love Grant in North by Northwest and Charade. LA Confidential is good albeit gritty. What Lies Beneath troubled me. Mystic River haunted me for awhile. I'm going with Shutter Island because it was different than previous mysteries. And it's one of those you think you've figured out, which just makes things more intense because you don't want it to be what you think it is.
I have only seen one of those and I’m going to make it my nomination. 😁 The others give me some ideas for date night though. 🙌🏻
So if you win do I share in the rights? 😂
Yeah, you can brag, too. 😁