20 Gritty Thrillers With the Bleakest Endings

Summary

• Thrillers excel at making you uncomfortable, but the impact is worth it, leading to unforgettable experiences and emotional connections.
• Visual style and storytelling in gritty thrillers immerse you in intrigue and mystery, often leaving a lasting impact on you.
• Bleak and heart-wrenching endings in thrillers like
  Taxi Driver
  and
  Speak No Evil
  leave a lasting impression, showcasing the darker side of storytelling.

It doesn’t matter how uncomfortable a movie may make you, chances are you will be right back. In fact, sometimes you do back-to-back sessions in which you submit yourselves to excruciating experiences that leave you shaking, but in a weird “this is just escapism, and tomorrow everything will be fine” sort of way. But we don’t blame you. Genres, mediums, and careers have been born out of making people uncomfortable, and thrillers seem to be where it all begins.

There are numerous ways to create thrillers. They can be friendly, PG-rated adventures, disturbing, fictional, or even based on true stories. It all depends on the director behind the camera, who will design a scheme to have an impact on those who sit at the other end. Usually, when it comes to gritty thrillers, a blend of visual style and storytelling will be responsible for forcing you down the spiral of intrigue and mystery that’ll make you feel like what’s on the screen could actually happen to you.

However, those gritty thrillers don’t always carry a last blow to the heart. In fact, most of the time, thrillers end with a happy ending, as they often represent a harrowing journey that viewers need to get a break from. But when that last blow comes in the form of a bleak and dark ending, chances are you will suffer. As follows, these are the gritty thrillers with the bleakest and heart-wrenching endings you will never forget.

The following list is full of spoilers.

20 Taxi Driver (1976)

In Martin Scorsese’s classic thriller, Travis Bickle (Dobert De Niro) is a PTSD-riddled war veteran who drives around New York City, trying to make a living as a taxicab driver. Bickle finds no reason in the gritty lifestyle of New York’s underworld, and every day he falls deeper into a desperate state of hopelessness and solitude. Sure, he meets Betsy (Cybill Shepherd), a campaign volunteer for a politician who’s running for president, but Betsy finds out about Travis’ rotten state of mind. When he meets a young sex worker named Iris (Jodie Foster) and can’t find a way to help her, Bickle “explodes.”

New York City Is Anything But a Symbol of Hope in Taxi Driver

Taxi Driver ends with Travis’ rampage of destruction. He attempts to murder the presidential candidate, Charles Palantine (Leonard Harris), but fails. Then he decides he will kill Iris’ pimp, Sport (Harvey Keitel), because he finds there’s no other way to help her. The shootout leaves him injured, and when he desperately tries to commit suicide, he finds out he’s out of ammo. Through his delusional glance, we see he fantasizes about dying.

The ending then shows Travis falling into a coma, being considered a hero in the city, and even reconnecting with Betsy when he wakes up. The problem is that the effects of the city’s mechanics are much too strong, and Scorsese ultimately reveals Travis will always have a connection to his approach to destruction. You can rent Taxi Driver on Apple TV.

19 Speak No Evil (2022)

Bjørn (Morten Burian), Louise (Sidsel Siem Koch), and Agnes (Liva Forsberg) are a Dutch family of three on vacation in Italy. As it usually happens in real life, they meet another family that is also on vacation. Patrick and Karin are a seemingly perfect and attractive couple, whose son, Abel, was born without a tongue and can’t communicate.

However, they hit it off, and when it’s time to say goodbye, Patrick and Karin invite Bjørn and Louise to spend a couple of days at their house in the Netherlands. When Bjørn and Louise get back, they decide to accept the invitation and travel to the remote town where Patrick and Karin live. They should have given this more thought.

Speak No Evil’s Ending Is One of the Most Searing Moments in Modern Cinema

Speak No Evil is a very original European thriller that sails into horror territory in the final act. Bjørn and Louise aren’t exactly in tune with the hosts’ attitude and ways, but they decide to give it a shot.

The problem is when Bjørn finds out the truth about Abel, and Patrick and Karin show their true nature. In a nightmare-inducing scene, the innocent couple is separated from their daughter Agnes, who will become Patrick and Karin’s new daughter, and guess what? She won’t be able to speak in the future. Bjørn and Louise are killed in the most horrific of ways, and right after, the serial killers go on vacation to find another family of victims. Stream Speak No Evil on Shudder.

18 The Vanishing (1988)

Rex (Gene Bervoets) and Saskia (Johanna ter Steege) are a young couple on a road trip in France. Saskia seems disturbed by recurring dreams but finds comfort in Rex. The problem is that when they stop for gas in a rest area, Saskia disappears without trace. Rex desperately tries to find her, but years pass before he gets a clue about where she might be. Someone contacts him and claims to have some answers, and Rex decides to meet up with the man who claims to have kidnapped her. Oh, answers will come alright.

The Nature of Evil

George Sluizer’s groundbreaking thriller, The Vanishing, is a spectacular sample of the genre that, decades after its release, still has the capacity to leave you in absolute distress. The movie ends on a very passive note as Rex and Raymond meet, and the killer slowly reveals why he does what he does. But still, he doesn’t say what he did to Saskia. Raymond drugs him and lets him know that he will experience Saskia’s end. Eventually, he finds out. He wakes up in a box, buried underground, as Raymond keeps on living his life with his family. You can stream The Vanishing on The Criterion Channel.

17 The Snowtown Murders (2011)

Based on the true story of the Snowtown murders in Australia in the 1990s, Snowtown (alternatively known as The Snowtown Murders) tells the story of a 16-year-old boy named Jamie (Lucas Pittaway). He lives with his mother and his brothers, one of whom abuses him repeatedly. His mother’s boyfriend is also a monster, but eventually, an outside force drives him away. John Bunting enters the picture, becomes a father figure to Jamie, and accomplishes some balance in the community. The problem is that John’s true nature will soon arise.

The Vicious Acts of Monsters

Snowtown ends as Jamie is already under the spell of John and his ideas. He can’t get away from him because he has already participated in a killing rampage. In the film’s final scene, Jamie convinces his half-brother, Dave, to buy a used computer.

Dave is one of the few “uncorrupted” characters in the film, which makes the conclusion even more harrowing. Jamie leads Dave into the hands of monsters and even becomes one as he closes the door of a room, as we can see the barrels where Australia’s notorious serial killers hid the bodies. There’s a very high chance that Snowtown will become a genre classic, even if it’s a film that’s incredibly hard to rewatch. You can stream Snowtown on AMC+.

16 Se7en (1995)

Se7en follows two detectives — David Mills (Brad Pitt) and Morgan Freeman (William Somerset) — dealing with a particularly cunning killer. Using the seven deadly sins as themes for his murders, the serial killer is driving law enforcement agents insane, as they’re unable to find clues about who could be the vicious culprit responsible. As envy and wrath are left on the roster, a man claiming to be the killer surrenders himself. He informs Mills and Somerset that his rampage isn’t over, but to reveal where the bodies are, they will have to meet some conditions.

“The World Is a Fine Place”

One of David Fincher’s most important films ends as Mills and Sommerset are in the middle of nowhere with John Doe, following his orders. A courier arrives to deliver a box that Sommerset opens, before instantly running towards Mills and Doe. He pleads for Mills to lower his gun, as Doe has revealed that he felt envious of Mills’ perfect life and family. As a consequence, he has killed Mills’ wife and their unborn child, leaving her head in the box.

Knowing Mills will kill him because of his wrath, Doe is revealed to have completed the circle. When Mills fires, he not only kills Doe, but also emerges victorious. In the final scene, Sommerset delivers a very important line that he took over from Hemingway: “The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.” He also says he agrees only with the second part. Buy or Rent Se7en on Prime Video.

15 Oldboy (2003)

Park Chan-wook’s gritty thriller Oldboy is the story of Oh Dae-su (Choi Min-sik), a successful executive whose personal life is chaotic. He’s always drunk and doesn’t care about his daughter’s birthday. When someone kidnaps him, he wakes up in an isolated hotel room. There’s only a television, and he gets food delivered through the pet door. He spends 15 years imprisoned, without a clue as to why someone has done this and framed him for the murder of his wife. Upon his unexpected release, Oh Dae-su will endeavor to uncover the causes of his ordeal.

Can You Imagine Your Worst Nightmare Coming True?

Woo-jin reveals to Oh Dae-su why he orchestrated the kidnapping. The reason is that Oh Dae-su witnessed him committing incest with his sister, Lee Soo-ah, and told everyone in class, leading to Lee Soo-ah’s suicide. The problem is that imprisonment wasn’t the only part of the plan. Woo-jin also reveals he managed to make Dae-su fall in love with Mi-do, the chef who has helped Oh Dae-su throughout the journey. In reality, Mi-do is Oh Dae-su’s daughter.

Struck by the news, Dae-su begs Woo-jin not to reveal anything to Mi-do. but the villain doesn’t exactly comply. Dae-su tries everything at his disposal to forget about his past life and the fact that the woman he loves is his daughter. Apparently, a hypnotist does so, and Mi-do finds Dae-su, but in the back of his mind, the truth will always remain untouched. Stream Oldboy on Netflix.

14 Blue Ruin (2013)

In Blue Ruin, Dwight Evans (Macon Blair) is a man who lives in his car and steals food and money in order to survive. Still affected by his parents’ murder, Dwight decides to fully avenge their deaths when he finds out their killer is set to be released from prison. Dwight catches up with Wade and brutally kills him. The problem is what happens soon after, when more details emerge from the killings that took place 20 years ago.

Death Is the Only Rule

Jeremy Saulnier’s slow-burn, gritty masterpiece has an unforgettable ending that’ll torment you for days. Dwight finds out Wade wasn’t responsible for his parents’ deaths, and he made a mistake by starting a streak of murders that he’s unable to stop. The Clelands, now seeking revenge, claim they will kill Sam, Dwight’s sister. In a shootout, with more bodies dropping than you can imagine in an indie thriller, Dwight eventually dies, and Saulnier’s film ends on a very grim note of hopelessness. Suffice to say, revenge is always a harrowing cycle of violence. Stream Blue Ruin on Tubi.

13 I Saw the Devil (2010)

I Saw the Devil is the story of Kim Soo-hyun (Lee Byung-hun), an intelligence officer in South Korea, who finds out his wife has been killed by a prolific serial killer named Jang Kyung-chul (Choi Min-sik). He swears revenge, but when he comes upon the killer, he doesn’t kill him. Instead, he plants a tracker on the killer and starts a cat-and-mouse game that’ll make Kyung-chul regret coming close to Soo-hyun’s wife. But this doesn’t mean the killer won’t fight back.

The Best Action Thriller You’ve Yet to See

A perfect revenge thriller, I Saw the Devil swiftly navigates to a climactic ending in which Kyung-chul decides to finally surrender to the police. But Soo-hyun has other plans, and kidnaps him in front of everyone. No one knows where the killer lives, so Soo-hyun decides to go there to torture the man to death. He installs a device on Kyung-chul’s body that will eventually behead him. This occurs as his family enters his home. Kim Soo-hyun wails as he realizes he has completed his job, as we’re left to wonder if all this additional suffering was truly worth it. Stream I Saw the Devil on Hulu.

12 We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) lives by herself in a rundown house. She was once a successful woman, but after giving birth to her son, Kevin (Ezra Miller), everything changed. Through flashbacks, we see her descent from being a promising mother to despising the existence of her son, who also shared similar feelings for her. But when she has a daughter and her family begins to take on a more normal shape, Kevin decides otherwise. There’s a reason why she’s a lonely pariah.

The Very Expression of Evil

Told in a flashback narrative, We Need to Talk About Kevin is a disturbing gritty thriller that reveals the purpose behind its title in a horrific ending. Kevin, in fact, had committed mass murder in his school. Not only that, he went ahead and decided to harm his mother by brutally killing his father and his sister, leaving Eva by herself. The film ends on a very bleak note, as Eva commits the ultimate merciful act by a mother: visiting her son in prison. She asks him why, and he doesn’t reply. The lack of answers is even more gut-wrenching. Swinton’s performance, which earned her Best Actress in a Leading Role nominations at the Golden Globes and the BAFTA Awards, makes this harrowing ending all the more upsetting. Stream We Need to Talk About Kevin on Tubi.

11 Kill List (2011)

Jay (Neil Maskell) and Gal (Michael Smiley) are best friends. Once British soldiers, they are now retired, and make their living as hitmen. In a desperate attempt to win back his wife’s approval, Jay accepts an unconventional job. Together with Gal, they embark on a journey that will prove to be the most peculiar job they’ve ever undertaken: transforming from victims who relish death to navigating a wealthy man’s peculiar demands.

Embracing Your Destiny, Even If It’s the Worst You Ever Imagined

A bizarre and disturbing thriller by Ben Wheatley, Kill List may feel predictable up to a point, because early on you get the feeling that Jay and Gal’s mission isn’t exactly normal. However, the film spirals out of control in the ending, when the pair witness a human sacrifice. They confront the group, who strangely admire the fact that Jay is killing them. When they catch up, Gal suffers a horrendous attack, forcing Jay to kill him out of mercy.

When Jay reunites with Shel and Sam, his wife and son, the attackers arrive, and they knock him unconscious. When Jay wakes up, he’s surrounded by cultists, who make him face The Hunchback, a cloaked figure holding a knife. Jay fights back and stabs the creature to death. When the cloak is removed, it’s revealed that this was Shel with Sam strapped to her back. While in shock, Jay’s crowned the king of the cult. Stream Kill List on Shudder.

10 Mystic River (2003)

Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River tells the story of Jimmy (Sean Penn), Sean (Kevin Bacon), and Dave (Tim Robbins), three boys whose lives are turned around when Dave gets kidnapped and taken away. Now grown men, each of them lives a different life. Dave is a mentally disturbed husband and father. Sean is a police detective, and Jimmy is an ex-convict with ties to the mafia. When Jimmy’s daughter disappears and, right after, her body is found, Sean is forced to lead the investigation, which appears to be closer than he thought possible.

The Truth Lies at the Bottom of the River

One of the great American thrillers to come out in recent decades, Mystic River, has one of the bleakest endings in its genre. Jimmy is sure that Dave committed the murder and will avenge the death of his daughter. Meanwhile, Sean finds out who the real killer is and catches him in a violent fight. The next morning, Jimmy sits on the street, and Sean approaches him to let him know they have caught the killer. Tragically, Jimmy realizes he has killed Dave for no reason.

As the streets get flooded with people for a parade, Sean reunites with his wife and son, and Jimmy decides to continue with the burden he has just created. The camera just flies above the river and eventually goes in, drowning out the truth of the horrific events we have just witnessed. It’s a deeply upsetting ending, one made all the more tragic by the layered emotions found in Sean Penn’s performance, which ultimately earned him an Oscar for Best Actor. Buy or Rent Mystic River on Prime Video.

9 The Deer Hunter (1978)

The Deer Hunter follows three Russian-American friends living in Western Pennsylvania in the late 1960s. As they prepare to go to Vietnam, the friends bond, but right after being discharged, the effects, both physical and emotional, represent too much of a burden. Completely separated from themselves and their past lives, Steven (John Savage), Nick (Christopher Walken), and Mike (Robert De Niro) fall down a spiral of addiction, violence and self-harm that greatly represents the horrors of PTSD.

A Hopeless Escape

The film ends as Mike visits Steven in the hospital. Steven’s legs have been amputated, and he no longer feels part of the home he formed with Angela. Mike convinces him and immediately decides to go back to Vietnam to look for Nick, who has vanished. He finds Nick, and realizes he has become a legend in the game of Russian roulette.

Nick doesn’t recognize his friend, as drugs have removed his memories. But when Mike plays a round with him, we see Nick’s warm smile before pulling the trigger and… losing. In the final scene, Mike offers his rendition of a patriotic song that doesn’t feel as uplifting as it could, closing one of the most enthralling thrillers of the late 1970s. Out of the nine Academy Awards it was nominated for, The Deer Hunter walked away with Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. Stream The Deer Hunter on Prime Video.

8 Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Sonny (Al Pacino), Sal (John Cazale), and Stevie (Gary Springer) decide to plan a heist. The problem is that they should have planned better. Stevie goes into a panic and leaves Sonny and Sal, who have already broken in but find only a stash of cash. The daily pickup has already occurred. Improvising, the pair decide to hold the employees hostage. As the hours go by, the police surround the bank, an audience begins to gather, and Sonny and Sal become public figures very quickly.

A Near-Perfect Crime Drama

Loosely based on a true story, Dog Day Afternoon ends as Sonny and Sal get what they asked for: a limousine that will take them to the airport. In a very clever move by the agents who are also in the vehicle, Sal is shot in the head, and Sonny is apprehended. He just watches as his friend’s corpse is handled and taken away. It just takes a couple of seconds for the film to conclude and for the mood of the movie to be completely changed. We didn’t necessarily want them to pull through, but the sudden shift in power dynamics came without the slightest fanfare or ceremony. Buy or Rent Dog Day Afternoon on Prime Video.

7 You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) is a very traumatized military veteran. His mind is clouded with suicidal thoughts, and all he cares about is his mother and completing his work, which mostly involves disarming human trafficking rings. His latest gig is a personal request from a senator who needs his daughter, Nina, to be rescued discreetly. The problem is that the police arrive first, take the girl, and shoot everyone. Joe’s mother is killed, and eventually, a victim at gunpoint reveals that the governor is behind the killings.

Joaquin Phoenix’s Finest Performance

Yes, this is Phoenix’s best performance to date. And it becomes more visible in the very bleak ending of the film, where the hitman follows the governor to a country home, where he has taken the senator’s child. He finds that Nina has killed the governor, and he takes her. The problem is that Joe’s nightmare is far from over, as even when he faces redemption in the face of a rescued child, he keeps fantasizing about death. Stream You Were Never Really Here on Prime Video.

6 Killer Joe (2011)

Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) finds himself in a pickle when his mother throws him out of the house, on top of stealing money from him. Chris decides to seek the help of his father and his stepmother, Ansel and Sharla. They have an idea: they could kill Adele, Chris’ mother, and collect life insurance that Dottie, Chris’ sister, is the beneficiary of. They hire Joe (Matthew McConaughey), a detective who also kills for money, as a side job. The problem is that when Joe meets Dottie, he starts having plans of his own, and he won’t stop until he reaches his goal.

Modern Friedkin Doesn’t Disappoint

Killer Joe is one of William Friedkin’s most underrated films. In fact, it could be the best of his recent films. The movie ends as Joe insists on marrying Dottie, and Chris confronts him. Joe responds by threatening to kill Ansel and Sharla if they don’t stop Chris. A fight ensues, and ultimately, Dottie grabs a gun and fires some shots. Chris is killed, and Dottie then points the gun at Joe, who smiles when she tells him she’s pregnant. The last thing we see is Dottie’s finger on the trigger. Stream Killer Joe on Tubi.

5 Open Water (2003)

Daniel (Daniel Travis) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) are a hard-working couple who find themselves forced to go on vacation if they want to save their relationship. Heading over to the Caribbean, they decide to make the trip a scuba-diving kind of trip. The day after they arrive, they go on a group dive and separate themselves from the group. The problem is that during the headcount, they are still not back, and two heads are counted twice.

The Scariest Thing Is That It Actually Happened

Based on the case of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, who went missing in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Open Water is a nerve-wracking film with a predictable ending. And as disturbing as such an ending sounds, we’re unable to stop watching their deaths slowly materialize. Daniel discovers that a shark has bitten Susan, and fish are feeding off the wound. Stung by jellyfish, the pair beg for mercy, but soon Daniel is bitten by another shark, and he goes into shock. As night arrives, he dies. Susan sees that no one has come to rescue them and just vanishes below the water. Buy or Rent Open Water on Prime Video.

4 Mulholland Drive (2001)

In Mulholland Drive, a woman survives a car crash, but the collision causes her to be amnesiac. She has no idea who she is. At the same time, an aspiring actress arrives at the apartment and finds the dazed woman trying to find some answers. Rita (Laura Harring), as she calls herself after seeing a poster where Rita Hayworth is featured, befriends Betty Elms (Naomi Watts), and together they will try to find some answers in David Lynch’s gritty Hollywood-themed fantasy thriller.

A Descent Down Tinseltown’s Underworld

To even mention the word “ending” in terms of Lynch’s film is an understatement. Such traditional elements of narrative are anything but inherent to a film with a twisted narrative that doesn’t really make much sense. All we can say is that, during the doppelganger conclusion, Diane (the former Betty) is estranged from her friendship with Camilla (the former Rita), and Diane hires a hitman to get rid of her. In the final scene, Diane ends her own life, and the film’s signature word, “Silencio,” is spoken out loud. Yeah, logic isn’t part of this, but it’s hard to shake off the dread of Mullholland Drive‘s bleak and disturbing ending. It caps off an already deeply uncomfortable film that really gets under your skin. Stream Mulholland Drive on The Criterion Channel.

3 Irréversible (2002)

Two friends, Marcus (Vincent Cassel) and Pierre (Albert Dupontel), are arrested at the Rectum, a BDSM club in Paris. Then we see why. They are searching for Le Tenia, an attacker responsible for almost killing a woman named Alex. When Marcus claims to find the guy, he gets his arm broken, and Pierre arrives to bash the violent assailant’s head in with a fire extinguisher. What happens next is a series of events that led up to this horrific visitation into madness. Eventually, we find out why they did what they did.

Bending the Rules of Narration

Gaspar Noé’s Irréversible is put together in reverse order, with segments that describe why the men did what they did. The horror of Alex’s attack makes you almost root for Pierre’s act. But the film gradually shifts into an optimistic tone when we see Marcus and Alex’s relationship and where it all begins. This should feel “happy,” if such a word exists in this underworld of violence. But Noé’s film is so impactful that even the uplifting feels poisoned by the dark nature of the film’s direction. You can stream Irréversible on AMC+.

2 Memories of Murder (2003)

Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho) and Seo Tae-yoon (Kim Sang-kyung) are two detectives coming from different cultures who decide to band together to find a serial killer. Currently terrorizing the streets of Hwaseong, the killer targets young women wearing red, always attacks during rainy nights, and always requests songs on the radio before doing so. As they collect the clues, the detectives come up with a suspect who, unfortunately, won’t be as compliant as they thought.

One of the Finest Thrillers Ever Made

The ending of Memories of Murder will stay with you for some time. Park and Seo don’t exactly agree on their methods, and while Park believes Hyeon-gyu is the culprit, there’s no evidence that points towards that. Not even the DNA test works to confirm he’s the killer or to rule him out. Seo is more conservative, but eventually he tries to shoot Hyeon-gyu because there’s no way he isn’t the killer.

Decades go by, and Park decides to return to the same crime scene where he found the first corpse. A child reveals to him that a man has also been coming, and that man describes the heinous act he committed there, but the child can’t identify him because the man looks like any other. Stream Memories of Murder on Tubi.

1 Arlington Road (1999)

Mark Pellington’s crime drama, Arlington Road, follows Michael Faraday (Jeff Bridges), a history professor whose specialty is terrorism. His wife was killed while on duty, and now he lives alone with his son, Grant. One day, Faraday notices they have new neighbors: Oliver, Cheryl, and Brady Lang. As the relationship grows, Michael begins to suspect something’s off with the Langs and does everything to keep Grant away from them. Eventually, he realizes they may be criminals, and they may be planning an attack.

A Great, Gut-Wrenching Twist

In the film’s third act, Michael confronts Oliver, who reveals he was the one responsible for killing Brooke, Michael’s girlfriend. He lets Michael know that he has taken Grant, and if he wants his son to live, he will stay quiet. Michael discovers a van near the place where Brooke died and decides to follow it when he sees Grant in the window. Oliver intercepts Michael and, once again, tells him he will kill Grant if he stops the attack that they will carry on the J. Edgar Hoover Building. Michael still insists, and he arrives at the building to find the van he was looking for.

It’s completely empty, and in a panic, he realizes what he has just done. When he opens the trunk of his car, he finds there’s a bomb, which detonates. In the film’s ending, Michael is described as a terrorist, and the Langs win. It’s a shocking ending made all the more tragic by the connection we formed to Jeff Bridges’ character. Arlington Road is currently unavailable on streaming.

Here’s a look at some pretty decent thrillers that have come out recently: