Content Warning: This article contains mentions of violence.
The final shot in a movie leaves one of the biggest impressions on viewers. A good movie can become great with a fantastic ending, and the final shot can go a long way to making even an average movie unforgettable. In the '80s, movie fans got the best of both worlds, with some fantastic movies with memorable parting scenes.
The last shot of a movie has one major purpose. It must tie up the movie's theme and plot with one image that tells the entire story of the hero's journey, letting the viewer know how the main character grew or fell in the end. From teen coming-of-age dramas to fantasy epics to action-adventure movies, the '80s delivered some of the best final shots in movie history.
The Breakfast Club (1985) - Available To Stream On Fubo
The Breakfast Club was a teen drama that brought together a mishmash of teenage stereotypes and allowed them to bond during one morning of detention, all growing and finding themselves despite having nothing in common. All the characters in The Breakfast Club were outcasts in their own way, unable to show who they really were, and all "broken" in the eyes of others.
By the end, they discovered they weren't so different and this was shown with the final shot. Judd Nelson's John was the rebellious "criminal" and when he left detention, he found a modicum of happiness and walked off with his fist up in the air, a symbol of the attitude and conquests of all the kids that Saturday afternoon.
Brazil (1985) - Available To Stream On Tubi
Terry Gilliam directed Brazil, released in 1985 and enduring as his true masterpiece. The movie is an absurdist dystopian fantasy with Jonathan Pryce portraying Sam Lowry, a low-level bureaucrat who works a dreary job as a cog in society. He starts seeing a mysterious woman in his dreams and then ends up meeting a renegade heating engineer played by Robert De Niro.
At this point, his life spirals out of control, with him having no hand in changing his fate. The final shot sees him strapped into a torture chair, smiling and humming to himself, his mind broken as he believes he received a happy ending.
Raging Bull (1980) - Available To Stream On Prime Video
Martin Scorsese released Raging Bull in 1980, one of the legendary director's best movies. Robert De Niro stars as Jake LaMotta, a boxer whose rage and drive pushed him so hard it destroyed his family and marriage. The movie is based on a real former boxing champion and De Niro won an Oscar for his performance.
The final shot showed the drastic change in LaMotta. No longer a ripped and driven boxing champion, De Niro now portrayed an overweight standup comedian in one of his many movie transformations, talking to himself in the mirror before a show. He finally stands up, shadow boxing before heading out, proving he remains a showman, even at this stage of his life.
The Thing (1982) - Available To Stream On Starz
In 1982, John Carpenter released his adaptation of John W. Campbell's Who Goes There?, which was previously adapted as The Thing From Another World in 1951. The movie, titled The Thing was a flop when released in theaters, but became one of horror cinema's most beloved movies.
Kurt Russell stars as a helicopter pilot named R.J. MacReady, who finds himself in a situation where an alien infiltrates a research facility in Antarctica. This alien can change its form to look like anyone, and no one knows who they can trust. The final shot has MacReady with one other survivors watching the entire facility burn down, both realizing that one of them could be the alien, keeping the theme of distrust at the end.
Do The Right Thing (1989) - Available To Stream On Peacock
Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing in 1989 showed racial tensions in a Brooklyn neighborhood that boiled over one hot summer afternoon. In of his first movies, Spike Lee is Mookie, a pizza delivery man who works for Sal, an Italian-American who has owned his business in the neighborhood for years. Sal refuses to leave the predominantly Black neighborhood and when he gets into an argument with locals, the police are called in.
During the violence that ensues, a beloved local boy, Radio Raheem, dies when a police officer refuses to release a chokehold, leading to a massive riot. The final shot is a long scene the next morning when the kids go back to playing on the street, showing that this recurring brutality was just life as they know it.
The Shining (1980) - Available To Stream On HBO Max
In one of the best Stephen King adaptations, Stanley Kubrick brought audiences The Shining in 1980, a haunted house story that doubled as a horror tale of domestic violence. Jack Nicholson starred as Jack Torrance, a man who accepts a job of caretaking a hotel in Colorado during the closed winter season. He brings his wife and son, but things get out of control when the ghosts of the hotel start to haunt him and push him to try to kill his family.
Jack ends up dying and the final shot in The Shining shows a vintage photo of a party from decades before, but Jack is now in the photo, showing he is trapped in the hotel with the rest of the ghosts forever.
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (1989) - Available To Stream On Paramount+
The third movie in the Indiana Jones franchise was Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and this was the last movie for the treasure hunter for over a decade. In this movie, viewers met Indiana's dad, Henry Jones Sr., played by Sean Connery, as the father and son duo set out on an adventure together.
As the last movie in the original trilogy, it was fitting that the final shot was so iconic. Indiana Jones, Henry Jones Sr., Marcus Brody, and Sallah all ride their horses into the sunset, a perfect last scene for the franchise.
Amadeus (1984) - Available To Rent On Apple TV
In 1984, Milos Forman directed the movie Amadeus, based on a stage play of the same name. The movie is a fictionalized biography of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, showing his rivalry with Italian composer Antonio Salieri. The movie takes place from Salieri's point of view, as he ended up in a psychiatric hospital after attempting to take his own life and he confesses to a young priest the story of his relationship with Mozart.
When the priest refuses to absolve Salieri, the composer promises to absolve everyone of their sins and the last shot shows him wheeled down the hallway of the psychiatric hospital, absolving all the patients, as Mozart's laughter rings out.
Rocky III (1982) - Available To Stream On HBO Max
The first Rocky movie saw the hero as the ultimate underdog who got a chance against the champion. That champion was Apollo Creed, who beat Rocky, but the underdog proved he could fight with the best in the loss. In the second movie, Rocky beat Apollo. In Rocky 3, Rocky had a new opponent in the cruel Clubber Lang.
After beating him, Rocky met up with Apollo and thought they could have a third match and as they circled each other in the practice ring, they threw their first punches and a freeze-frame ended the movie, with "Eye of the Tiger" playing over the end credits, not allowing the audience to see who won the rubber match.
Back To The Future (1985) - Available To Stream On Fubo
Back to the Future is one of the most iconic movies of the '80s, with Michael J. Fox starring as Marty McFly, a teenager who ends up accidentally sent back in time to when his parents were teenagers and meeting for the first time. He almost messes that relationship up, but finally returns to the present day to find his life much better.
However, it wasn't over. In one of the most memorable moments for Marty, Doc Brown shows up and tells him they have to go back to the future because his kids have messed things up. The final shot shows the Delorean now able to fly because "where we're going, we don't need roads" and the car flying into the camera to end the movie.