Who doesn’t love a good spy movie? But even some of the best spy thrillers fall flat on their faces if they have a bad ending. Film buffs usually expect everything from a spy-led action film, from political warfare and helicopter chases to well-choreographed action sequences and some sexy tension between the protagonists. And it’s difficult to deliver all of these things at once.
Over the years, Hollywood has tried its best to perfect the espionage genre and many of these films have had flawless endings, staying true to their style and tonality. But, a few spy thrillers have had bad, ill-conceived endings which just aren’t rewarding enough for their audiences. Here are the spy films with the best and worst endings.
10 Great Ending: Munich
Munich, at its core, is a movie about the true cost of espionage, as it acutely observes how each side suffers in the aftermath of political fallout. The end of Munich was able to move through the impasse and arrive at a sense of closure, especially for the troubled protagonist, although it wasn't a happy one.
Towards the end of the movie, Avner becomes disillusioned with his own life and also suffers from PTSD. He refuses to return to Mossad but asks his handler, Ephraim, to come to dinner with his family, an offer that Ephraim refuses. This was very telling, as it suggested that neither side is open to compromise. This ending was simple, not rushed and maintained the tone of the entire movie.
9 Awful Ending: The Tourist
Besides a completely directionless Johnny Depp looking like he had wandered onto set by mistake, the ending of The Tourist was one of the worst things about the thriller. Depp plays a math teacher named Frank who is accused of being the dangerous Alexander Pearce, who stole millions of dollars from a gangster.
Scotland Yard believes Pearce underwent plastic surgery to change his face, but this is really incredulous, especially since their suspicions have no grounds, except for the fact that Frank is seen with Pearce’s secret agent lover, Elise. The ending confirms that Frank really is Pearce, which is also something most viewers would have guessed anyway, considering its shallow build-up.
8 Great Ending: Burn After Reading
There has been a lot of discussion on whether this underrated dark comedy is actually a spy movie, but much of the fandom agrees that this cult movie satirizes the espionage motif to build towards a signature Coen Brothers ending. Like any other Coen Brothers film, Burn After Reading relies on some elements of the ridiculous, making for a great conclusion.
In the end, everyone involved is simply interested in getting away from the problem. Almost all films in the Coen canon drive towards the fact that there is simply no one watching, and that nothing really matters. The CIA concludes that despite all their blunders and collective mess, there is no lesson for them to be learned, and promises to never make this mistake again, despite having no clue what it is that they did wrong.
7 Awful Ending: Spy
Despite a weak script, Spy, starring Melissa McCarthy, is an endearing watch. But the ending of the movie needed a lot more zing, especially since the movie was so focused on unraveling how Susan is in fact, really good at her job. The film relies on some cliched tropes, like bringing the superstar agent back from the dead and making her the bad guy.
The part where Susan and Rick Ford find themselves in bed with each other was quite redundant and unnecessary. But one of the biggest blunders the movie makes is never showing Susan coming to terms with her new reality as a jet-setting super agent, and it doesn’t leave room for any introspection.
6 Great Ending: The Man From U.N.C.L.E
Despite an unremarkable script and some wonky dynamics, most felt that spy thriller was refreshing to watch. Interestingly, the chemistry between the two sparring agents, Solo and Illya, stole the show, as the friction between them had a lot of conviction.
The ending made the most of their tense camaraderie - when they decide not to kill each other and not to give their respective nations the upper hand in the Cold War by destroying a disc coveted by both the U.S. and Russia. The duo is reassigned on another mission to Istanbul, which is when they are given the codename U.N.C.L.E, the famous acronym from the 60s television series that inspired the movie.
5 Awful Ending: Beirut
Despite the old, cliched cultural tropes Beirut uses as plot devices, the film is remarkably sensitive about some of the issues at the center of its narrative. Interestingly, Beirut doesn’t go by the cheat codes of a standard spy thriller, but despite that, its ending comes off as horribly formulaic. An easy way out for political thrillers is to opt-out of the big ending, to show that things are still a mess, countries still aloof and the main players of the movie have made peace with their chosen profession or suffer from disillusionment.
Considering Beirut’s self-awareness, audiences were hoping for something a little different. Instead, the film falls back on the same things-don’t-change formula, as both the leads, Mason and Sandy, look forward to newer horizons in international services and the film ends with real footage of two bombings.
4 Great Ending: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy neatly wraps up quite a few things in the last three minutes of the movie, which is in sync with its style of narration. The ending to the spy thriller is taut, precise and impactful, as quite a few significant things are seen happening simultaneously. Jim Prideaux kills Bill Hayden for his treachery, which was especially painful, considering Jim’s feelings for him.
Smiley finds that his wife has returned home, and this is depicted impeccably with just a brief glimpse at a distant female figure in Smiley’s dining room. And lastly, Smiley takes his seat as the new head of the Circus, which really gave his professional trajectory a sense of rightful closure, since he couldn’t leave the life behind.
3 Awful Ending: Get Smart
Considering Get Smart, the film and the original television series, were conceived as parodies of the spy thriller genre, the film’s ending was really disappointing. The film is at its best, a spy comedy, as it lacks the conscious self-deprecation that any genre parody needs.
But its ending, especially, is almost too predictable and adds nothing to the element of caricature, which is the point of the entire movie, and also the only factor that connects the film to its history as a cult franchise. Get Smart goes for a simple, uncomplicated ending where the bumbling agent gets his dream of becoming a real spy, gets romantic fulfillment with his dream girl, but is still shown to be the goofball he always was - not terribly interesting.
2 Great Ending: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
In Rogue Nation, the Impossible Missions Force finally has to justify its relevance in the modern espionage world, which is largely dominated by technology and data, so the stakes were really high for the fifth Mission Impossible movie. And fans of the franchise unanimously agree that it delivers, mainly because it goes for a change of pace in its storytelling. It shakes up the old action movie formula with a breathtaking climax but still clings to its signature elements, including the famous latex mask rip-off.
The ending is also superbly rewarding for viewers, as not only Ethan Hunt and Co. manage to get the bad guy, but also get a new boss, who so far, has only been critical of IMF’s functionality, but now must explore how crucial the wing has been for the country.
1 Awful Ending: This Means War
Granted this spy movie is majorly driven by the love triangle between the two BFF agents fighting for the same girl, but it still tries hard to do justice to its genre. Considering the movie was scripted via a ‘pick one’ formula, it was obvious that Lauren would choose one of the two men, and fans also realized midway that it was definitely going to be Chris Pine over Tom Hardy, who was obviously the bigger star back then.
There was no element of surprise involved, as the bad guy dies conveniently and didn’t have much to do, to begin with. The movie ends with FDR telling Tucker that he had once slept with his wife, which is a shallow note on which to end a movie.
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