kelraf levander hamyll
Norine Wiltshire
Netflix may have lost many of its big-name movies to streamers like HBO Max, Peacock and Paramount+ in the last year, but the streamer still has a number of movies with huge twists that will have viewers on the edge of their seats with moments they will never see coming.
Here are 30 movies with crazy plot twists streaming on Netflix U.S. And do not worry; we will not give away any of those twists here (unless you are one of those people who consider saying there is a plot twist as a spoiler....)
Mysterious cults have been the subject of many a twisty movie, from The Wicker Man to M. Night Shyamalan's The Village. Netflix's offering in this genre is Apostle, in which Dan Stevens discovers a dark truth about a mysterious group.
A recent hit from Netflix, Deadly Illusions is the twisty, turny story of a writer (Kristin Davis) and her nanny who may not be who she seems to be. The movie has twists and turns aplenty as the real world and the world of the writer's books starts to merge, but the movie keeps its biggest (and most confusing) twist for the end.
The concept of people who have to live their lives trapped in plastic bubbles due to medical ailments has been the subject of a number of movies over the years, but none of them managed a twist as audacious as the one in the 2019 movie.
Movies rarely get as twisted as the end of fractured, where the audience finds out what has really been going on with Ray (Sam Worthington) and the family he has lost while sleeping in a hospital waiting room.
The 2012 American adaptation of the Scandi-noir book is like a triple threat of twists, bringing together director David Fincher (of twisty movies like Fight Club and Se7en), a book full of twists and a screenplay that throws a few more in for good measure.
One of a series of critically slammed movies Halle Berry made after winning an Oscar, leading people to say she had fallen victim to the 'Oscars curse,' the movie does end with some major twists that may win over some viewers.
A divisive Netflix original, I'm Thinking of Ending Things split viewers into three categories: those who could not get through the very dialogue heavy first half, those who abandoned the movie as it got weird in the second half, and those who loved every odd twist of this one-of-a-kind movie.
Netflix is full of movies about parties that go very wrong, from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf to Knives Out. Few, however, take as weird a turn as The Invitation, as our lead discovers exactly why he has been invited.
Tom Ford's twisty psychological tale is considered by many to be one of the great Oscar nomination snubs in recent history, though perhaps the Academy voters had trouble working out what was happening at any given moment.
That said, one of Scorsese's best films does contain a final twist that will leave viewers as disgusted with the city as Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is throughout the movie, and has been the subject of numerous fan theories ever since.
Who doesn't love a good twist? If done right, twists can enhance the story and keep things interesting. They can turn a great movie into an unforgettable one like Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. Or they can even elevate a mediocre film into a decent, memorable flick. Twists keep audiences on their toes by keeping them guessing and engaged instead of bored because they think they know what's going to happen already.
Fans of these moments will be glad to know there's no shortage of the best plot twist movies on Netflix to choose from. The streaming giant has steadily accumulated a number of critically acclaimed and widely popular films, with the best movies with a twist on Netflix utilizing the cinematic tool in brilliant ways. Without any spoilers, there are a few standouts worth seeing at least once.
Director Joseph Kosinski's Spiderhead takes place in a state-of-the-art penitentiary where experiments are run on willing subjects who hope to reduce their sentences. Two of these subjects, Jeff (Miles Teller) and Lizzy (Jurnee Smollett), begin to form a romantic connection. Steve Abnesti (Chris Hemsworth), the person responsible for overseeing the experiments, takes advantage of this bond to test his mind-altering drugs.
The sci-fi psychological thriller film is far from perfect, with its muddled message and questionable pacing being hard not to notice. There's no denying that its plot twist, which is related to the real purpose of the experiments, is shocking, and further proves how cunning Steve is. If nothing else, the movie is worth seeing just for Chris Hemsworth's villainous role.
Director Gareth Evans brings a truly bizarre world to life with Apostle. When a young woman from a wealthy family is taken hostage by a strange cult, her brother, Thomas (Dan Stevens), is forced to infiltrate the island where the cult resides and try and rescue his beloved sister. There, he finds more than he bargained for, and risks everything in the process.
Apostle sets up a compelling mystery with plenty of twists and turns throughout. What starts off as a slow burn in the first act of the cult-themed movie quickly devolves into a chaotic, disturbing, bloody nightmare that puts The Wicker Man to shame. With some excellent cinematography, a layered antagonist, and creepy mystical elements, Apostle fits perfectly within the "island cult" subgenre.
Made during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Guilty is an intriguing, fast-paced drama about a disgraced cop put on desk duty who receives a call from a distressed woman trapped in someone's car. Taking place all in one location and relying completely on Jake Gyllenhaal's acting skills, the film manages to keep the viewer's attention throughout its 90-minute runtime.
Having run into obvious difficulties brought on by the pandemic, director Antoine Fuqua directed the entire movie from a van with the use of monitors and walkie-talkies. This bottle thriller manages to keep the tension high and engaging even with limited resources. Its twist reminds viewers to think twice about strangers.
Anyone who enjoys more grounded superhero movies that are heavy on action has likely already seen The Old Guard. The 2020 film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood is based on an eponymous comic book that's centered on a group of immortal mercenaries who are out for revenge. Their immortality also comes with the ability to heal any injuries, thus preventing them from dying.
Starring Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, and Matthias Schoenaerts among other talented actors, The Old Guard packs a punch and is entertaining from start to finish. There's more than one twist, with the first relating to an unexpected betrayal, and the other connected to a surprising revelation about their immortality. There's also a final shocking ending that sets up The Old Guard 2, a sequel that's already in production.
As is typical of director Charlie Kaufman's works, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is a wonderfully weird masterpiece that's never what audiences expect. The film has a deceptively simple premise: A young woman (played by Jessie Buckley) is meeting her boyfriend Jake's (Jesse Plemons) parents, so the two of them drive to the couple's farm.
Soon, the film transforms into a surrealist dream (or nightmare) as the line between reality and fantasy blurs. The simple visit to her partner's parents soon turns into something completely bizarre. The divisive plot twist towards the end is open to viewers' interpretation, making it that much more intriguing and worth watching.
One of the best socially conscious horror movies from recent years, The Platform depicts a "Vertical Self-Management Center" full of exploited residents who are switched every now and then between the different floors. The reasoning behind the switches is to change who gets to eat from "the platform" first, which comes down from the top filled with food, but is inevitably empty by the time it gets to the lower floors.
The conflict that arises from the tower's residents soon devolves into gruesome violence, and efforts at trying to fix the system only seem to fail. The Platform has a crucial subplot linked to its heartbreaking plot twist that provides a profound perspective on the brutality and desperation in the underrated sci-fi horror film.
This is a fun one because the viewer is allowed to make the choices of how this story unfolds, twists and all. The universe of Black Mirror was a perfect fit for Netflix's new "interactive experience" that allows the audience to make decisions and leads to five different endings for the film.
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch follows a young programmer in 1984 who is trying to adapt a fantasy gamebook into a video game, which leads to a wild journey of tech-induced horror that Black Mirror does so well. Given the multiple endings, there are plenty of twists throughout with some that viewers might miss on the first run, encouraging multiple viewings. Bandersnatch remains one of the most unique and best Netflix movies with plot twists that rely on the audience's choices.
Bullet Train is a ridiculously fun action comedy film featuring Brad Pitt in the lead role as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin who wants to become a pacifist and intends to stick to it during his latest mission. It's simple enough, just retrieve a briefcase from a bullet train. Of course, things don't turn out to be so straightforward.
With other killers and colorful characters on board, Bullet Train throws numerous twists and turns that will have audiences both surprised and laughing at the absurdity of it all. Paired with flawlessly choreographed action sequences, gut-busting moments, and impressive visuals, the film becomes a must-see for those who love action-packed flicks that don't take themselves too seriously.
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