When most crowds go to watch a movie, they expect to see a satisfying ending. Whether it's an action movie with heroes fighting villains, a love story with two star-crossed lovers, or a horror movie with a villain killing several victims, the ending can make or break a movie. However, that does not mean the heroes always need to win, and in some cases, the title characters even die in the end.
When the title character dies, the movie has to play its cards right. There needs to be a reason this character dies and if the movie doesn't play by the rules, viewers will often reject it completely. However, when it is done right, the death of a title character can be a powerful storytelling moment and there are several instances where it was pulled off flawlessly.
Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid (1969)
In the 1969 classic western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, there are clearly two title characters and they both go out in a blaze of glory - literally. The movie tells the story of the two iconic outlaws on the run from the law, many of whom are as corrupt as the bad guys.
One of the best westerns ever made, Butch Cassidy has an iconic ending that has been copied by other movies where the two title characters are trapped by the Bolivian Army in a small town. However, they were not willing to go down without a fight and rush out before a freeze-frame ends the movie with the sounds of the troops opening fire.
Donnie Darko (2001)
The title character in Donnie Darko is a young teenage boy who lives in a suburb with his family. The movie opens with Donnie waking up far from his home after a sleepwalking incident. When he returns home, he learns a jet engine fell from the sky and crashed into his bedroom.
Furthermore, a large man in a rabbit costume named Frank tells Donnie the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds. What plays out is a sci-fi tale that has Donnie Darko learn that the world is not what it seems and the end really is near.
The Fly (1986)
While not his actual name in the movie, Seth Brundle becomes the title character, The Fly. In a remake of the classic Vincent Price horror movie, David Cronenberg took the original idea and created his own body horror film that eclipsed the original in every conceivable way.
The Fly has Seth as a brilliant scientist who attempts to create a device that can transport items across space using telepods. However, when Seth tests it and a fly ends up in there with him, it all goes horrifically wrong, and he begins to transform into a human fly, his fate sealed.
Gladiator (2000)
Released in 2000, Gladiator tells the story of a former military general named Maximus forced into the role of a gladiator when his king dies and the man's son takes control and places the honored general into the gladiatorial ring.
It would seem that, in a movie like this, the Gladiator from the title would soon help free his fellow captives and lead a rebellion against the evil new king. While he does start the wheels turning in freeing the gladiators, he does so at the cost of his own life.
Leon: The Professional (1994)
Luc Besson directed the thriller Leon: The Professional in 1994, where Jean Reno starred as the title character. Leon was an assassin who lived in an apartment building where a young girl's family was murdered by some hitmen.
Leon took the girl into his care reluctantly, and helped teach her how to defend herself, and eventually how to kill so she could seek revenge against the people who killed her parents. While the young girl, played by a 13-year-old Natalie Portman survives, Leon gave his life to make sure she has one to return to.
Thelma & Louise
Thelma & Louise shares a kinship with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. However, the big difference is that one movie was about two outlaws who got by robbing banks while the other movie was about two women standing up for themselves, yet becoming outlaws nonetheless.
In Thelma & Louise, the two women went on the run when one killed a man who attempted to rape one of them in the parking lot of a bar. With the law closing in, they commit even more crimes and end up ending the movie in their own freeze frame, one that leaves little to the imagination as they drive off a cliff together.
Bonnie And Clyde (1967)
Bonnie and Clyde is a true story, so the fact that these title characters die in the end is no surprise to anyone. The two were a pair of the most infamous bank robbers in United States history, both because of their success before they died as well as the fact that people loved them and wanted them to succeed.
They were popular because they mostly stole from the rich and gave back to the poor, but this did not keep them out of the law's crosshairs, as the police wanted to kill them, not capture them, and that is what happened in the explosive finale.
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Paul Newman starred as Cool Hand Luke, a decorated World War II veteran arrested for cutting parking meters off their rails. He ends up working on a chain gang which is led by a corrupt warden known as the Captain.
Throughout his entire time in the prison, he runs afoul of the Captain, especially when the other prisoners start to look up to him. After his mother dies, he decides to escape and things do not end well for him in a truly tragic ending.
Scarface (1983)
While a nickname, Al Pacino plays Tony Montana, also known as Scarface. Based on the novel of the same name, written by Oliver Stone, and directed by Brian De Palma, the movie tells the story of a Cuban refugee who becomes the head of a massive drug cartel in Miami.
The death came as no shock, as he was walking on the edge throughout the entire movie and it was shocking he made it as far as he did. His death, though, was magnificent as he was cornered in his mansion and came out with guns blazing.
Carrie (1976)
The first novel that Stephen King published was Carrie and it made him an instant bestseller. It was only a few years later that the movie version arrived, with Sissy Spacek starring as Carrie White, a teenage girl who learns she has telekinetic powers.
Carrie then uses these powers to punish the people who tortured her throughout her entire life, including her cruel, overbearing mother. With all the deaths she caused, she couldn't avoid her end, but the best news is that she went out her way.