Throughout all forms of narrative storytelling, the typical progression of any plot will focus on a protagonist who is forced to overcome increasingly challenging obstacles in pursuit of a goal, one that usually sees them face — and, ultimately, triumph over — an antagonist of some description. While there is plenty that can be done within this set structure, there have been many writers and filmmakers who have set out to subvert this form in one way or another, with one of the most interesting departures from the norm being stories where nobody emerges victorious or satisfied.
Films that utilize such a narrative arc tend to hold a thematic weight, with many coming to be celebrated as striking and effective tales about the pitfalls of ambition and, in many cases, cautionary tales about the dangers of crime. They range from classic horror movies to poignant dramas, heartbreaking war epics, and even the odd comedy gem.This list will discuss the best movies where there are no winners; some are bleak, and others merely bittersweet, but they’re all far from pleasant.
10’The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford' (2007)
Directed by Andrew Dominik
Many movies with negative arcs wield a certain thematic might. This might is only amplified when the story is based on real people, such is the case inThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. The historical Western biopic follows the last year ofJesse James(Brad Pitt) and his dwindling gang of outlaws. It places a particular focus onRobert Ford(Casey Affleck), a recruit to the crew whose lifelong idolization of James gradually sours to a vindictive spite as he spends more time with the man.
As the title would suggest, the movie doesn’t end well for Jesse James, who is shot from behind by Ford, much to the devastation of his family. However, a fascinatingepilogue explores the fates of other membersof the gang, including Robert Ford, whose efforts to capitalize on the celebrity status the killing granted him only leads to widespread disdain from the public as they come to view James as a hero of American folklore. In the end, the Western epic excels asa poignant and piercing examination of violence and ambitioncast against the backdrop of the life and death of one of the most famous outlaws to have ever lived.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
9’In Bruges' (2008)
Directed by Martin McDonagh
While he is largely known for his ability to combinequaint yet dark comedyand searing drama with aplomb,Martin McDonaghalso deserves high praise for his mastery of concluding his stories in bleak yet intriguing ways. This trait of his is on full display inThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriandThe Banshees of Inisherin, and yet it is perhaps most prevalent in his debut feature,In Bruges. It follows two Irish hitmen dispatched to Bruges to hide out after a job goes wrong, but their situation grows complicated when one of them is instructed to kill the other.
As the story unfurls, it becomes evident thata violent and brutal climax is inevitable, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Ken (Brendan Gleeson) falls to a horrific and agonizing death, Harry (Ralph Fiennes) shoots himself after thinking he shot a child, and Ray (Colin Farrell) seems to be bleeding to death in a state of miserable self-pity when the credits roll. With all the secondary characters either traumatized, heartbroken, dead, or partially blinded,In Brugesis a movie in whichno one finishes the story in a better place than when they started. The true genius of the film is that it is still hilarious all the way through.
8’A Simple Plan' (1998)
Directed by Sam Raimi
A grittyneo-noir thriller that stands amongSam Raimi’s best films— and is by far his most underrated —A Simple Planimmerses viewers in a treacherous scandal of simmering interpersonal conflicts and cold-blooded murder that always feels as though it is going to end in disaster. In the snow-swept woods on the outskirts of their small town, three friends stumble upon a crashed plane containing a stash of over $4 million. Things soon spiral out of control when Hank’s (Bill Paxton) wife enters the fold, and the quartet’s efforts to keep the cash concealed lead to frayed loyalties and impulsive killings.
By the end of the movie, only Hank and Sarah (Bridget Fonda) are left alive. Not only must they live with the heinous things they have done, but the couple also learn that the cash has been tagged by the FBI, meaning they can’t spend it. As they burn the money, the distraught couple find themselves no richer than they were at the beginning and left with a daunting trauma,reflecting on what they have done and how it has all been for naught.
A Simple Plan
7’Oldboy' (2003)
Directed by Park Chan-wook
A disturbing action-thriller that stands as one of the most celebrated films to have ever come from South Korea,Oldboyis an international classic that many can only sit through once. Dae-su Oh (Choi Min-sik) is a drunk and neglectful man who is abducted off the streets and held captive for 15 years. When he is mysteriously set free, he sets out to find his jailor, and his helped in his quest by Mi-do (Kang Hye-jung), a young sushi chef with whom he develops a sexual relationship.
In one of the most famous and confronting twists in cinematic history, it is revealed thatMi-do is actually Dae-su’s daughterand their whole romance was plotted by a vindictive former classmate of Dae-su. Whilehe is somewhat successful in his elaborate vendetta, Lee Woo-jin (Yoo Ji-tae) never grows past the death of his sister. Meanwhile, Dae-su’s plan to be hypnotized into forgetting Mi-do is his daughter, comes toan ambiguous though pessimistic endwhen their last embrace, and Mi-do’s declaration of her love for him, sees his smile tense into a pained grimace.
6’The Departed' (2006)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
An engrossing game of cat-and-mouse,The Departedfollowsthe tense battle between an undercover copand a mole in the Boston Police Department as each of them strives to unveil the identity of the other. As their rivalry intensifies, and as the bodies begin to pile up amid the police’s efforts to bring down local crime boss Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson), both men find themselves in a desperate and deceitful game where every decision could lead to their death.
Shockingly, those deaths do come. Upon identifying and arresting the mole, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is abruptly gunned down in an elevator while the dirty cop Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) learns of the existence of incriminating tapes tying him to Costello’s operation before he himself is executed. With all the peripheral characters ending up either dead, fired, or betrayed,The Departedisa particularly brutal crime thrillerthat hits hard on the theme that crime doesn’t pay but showcases thatpolice work may not be much more lucrative either.
The Departed
5’Carrie' (1976)
Directed by Brian De Palma
Horror is a particularly strong genre for stories in which no one emerges triumphant. Released in 1976 and still standing as a powerful icon of the genre,Carrieis one of the most devastating and harrowing examples of this that horror has seen.Based onStephen King’s novel, it follows bullied teenager Carrie White (Sissy Spacek), who is slowly developing telekinetic powers as she lives under the thumb of her domineering religious mother. When a popular boy asks her to prom, Carrie slowly begins to grow excited, but a cruel classmate’s spiteful ploy ensures that catastrophe is inevitable.
A huge part of the horror ofCarrieis how the abuse she receives both at home and at the schoolyard enforces a wicked delusion in her head when the bucket of pig’s blood is dumped over her at the prom. It is the final straw that sees her cascade into a murderous frenzy as she burns down the school hall with her peers and teachers inside before returning home, where she has a violent and deadly confrontation with her mother.The characters that don’t end up dead sustain life-ruining trauma, and while Carrie’s fate remains somewhat ambiguous, her false vision of all her classmates laughing at her is enough to suggest that she will never allow herself to find the acceptance she so craves.
4’Citizen Kane' (1941)
Directed by Orson Welles
Not only one of the most influential pictures ever made but a dramatic masterpiece that remains just as poignant and relevant today as it was in 1941,Citizen Kaneis a captivating odyssey of celebrity, power, and depression. When legendary news magnate Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) dies uttering “Rosebud” as his final word, a reporter is tasked with figuring out the word’s meaning. The assignment sees him interview key figures in Kane’s life, from old acquaintances to embittered former spouses, and while he unearths new discoveries about the character of Kane, the true meaning of Rosebud eludes him.
The narrative structure is not only fascinating and innovative but also perfectly formed to exhibit the magnitude of Kane’s life and the manner in which so many of his past associates — be they enemies or friends — were incapable of escaping the vast shadow of his life. Moreover,the reporter never does learn what Rosebud refers to, while the glimpse of its true nature audiences do receivepaints Kane as a nostalgic and lost man who spent his final years yearningfor a happiness that, despite his immense wealth, had long abandoned him.
Citizen Kane
3’Parasite' (2019)
Directed by Bong Joon-ho
An international gem that became an instant classic and continues to earn acclaim as one of the defining movies of the 2010s,Parasiteis a brilliantly satirical and insightful thrillerfocusing on social inequality and class divides. Kim Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik) is an intelligent student from a poor family who gains work as a tutor to the teenage daughter of the wealthy Park family. Ki-woo schemes to get each of his family members a job in the Park household. While the opportunistic lifestyle initially satisfies the Kims, they begin to form an envious spite towards the naivety of the Parks and the luxuries they take for granted.
The simmering social tensions finally crescendo at the birthday party celebrations of the Parks' youngest child, wherein a knife attack sees the event spill into chaos and bloodshed, with members of both the Park and Kim families dying in the process.Whatever happiness either family found in their parasitic lifestyles is decimatedin one fell swoop, with the survivors of the traumatic scenario left reeling as they mourn their loved ones.
2’Atonement' (2007)
Directed by Joe Wright
The heartbreak of a romantic tragedy blends withthe epic scale of war cinemain the stunning dramaAtonement. Just 13 years old in 1935, Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) weaves a terrible lie when she discovers her older sister, Cecilia (Keira Knightley), is involved in a secretive romance with Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), the son of the estate’s groundskeeper. The rift between the Tallis sisters carries into the war, while an imprisoned Robbie is released from jail to fight in WWII.
The injustice of Robbie and Cecilia being pried away is palpable, but it seemingly comes to a happy conclusion when Robbie returns from the war and rekindles his love with Cecilia while evicting Briony from their lives. It is only at the end of the film that an elderly Briony (Vanessa Redgrave), now an accomplished author, reveals thatRobbie died in Dunkirk and Cecilia was killed during the Blitz. Briony even loses in the end, too, with her false accusation against Robbie tormenting her for the remainder of her life.
1’Requiem for a Dream' (2000)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Just the second feature film from directorDarren Aronofsky,Requiem for a Dreamis a harrowing presentation of drug addiction that remainsone of the most disturbing movies ever released. It follows four entwined characters whose relationship with narcotics sees their lives unravel. Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn) is a lonely widow who is prescribed amphetamines as part of a weight loss program. Her son, Harry (Jared Leto), is a heroin addict who gets by dealing drugs with his friend, Tyrone (Marlon Wayans). Meanwhile, Marion (Jennifer Connelly), Harry’s girlfriend, sees her dreams of becoming a fashion designer gradually wither away by her growing dependence on drugs.
As an unforgettable cautionary tale about the dangers of drug use,Requiem for a Dreamconcludes withall four of its major characters facing life-ruining destruction, be it in the form of incarceration, irreversible medical procedures, or being completely subservient to drug dealers and criminals.Damning, frightful, and utterly scarring,Requiem for a Dreamdoesn’t just see all the characters emerge as losers in the context of the story, but it goes so far as to obliterate their dreams and any futures they may have had.
