23 Final Scene Movie Monologues That Are Everything From Devastating To Shocking To Just Plain Sweet

BuzzFeed
·4 min read

Whether it's funny, shocking, or just plain devastating, a good old-fashioned monologue is sometimes the best way a filmmaker can leave a lasting impression on their audience, especially if it arrives during a movie's final moments.

Nickelodeon / giphy.com

That's probably why u/TarikSchwacha1980 recently asked Reddit, "What is the greatest end scene monologue in a movie?" Here are a few of the hundreds of responses.

Warning: This post is all about endings, so there are lots and lots of spoilers ahead!

1.Pi's melancholy reflection on his relationship with his tiger companion, Richard Parker, in Life of Pi.

Pi says Richard Parker never saw him as a friend, and reflects, I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go
20th Century Fox

Here's the full scene:

2.Elle Woods' graduation speech to her fellow members of the Harvard Law School Class of 2004 in Legally Blonde.

Elle says, "The law is reason free from passion. Well, no offense to Aristotle, but in my three years at Harvard, I've come to find that passion is a key ingredient to the study and practice of law. And of life."
Type A Films

Honorary mention goes to these non-verbal, but brilliant, final revelations:

Warner graduated without honors, without a girlfriend, and without any job offers
Type A Films

Here's the full scene:

3.When Gordon paid tribute to Batman in the final moments of The Dark Knight.

Gordon says, So we'll hunt him. I guess he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian. A watchful protector. A dark knight.
Warner Bros. Pictures

Here's the full scene:

4.Roy's famous "tears in the rain" monologue from Blade Runner.

Roy says, "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

Here's the full scene:

5.Anton Ego's rave review of Gusteau's in Ratatouille.

Anton Ego admits the weaknesses of being a critic, then adds that he loved his meal at Gusteau's and now believes a great artist can come from anywhere

Here's the full scene:

6.Charlie's final letter to his unnamed pen pal in The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

—Youre_late_for_tea

Here's the full scene:

7.Red's voiceover on his way to Mexico to reunite with Andy Dufresne, his friend who spent years plotting an escape from the prison where he was wrongfully sent for life, in The Shawshank Redemption.

Red says he hopes he can see his friend again and shake his hand, and then he and Andy reunite on the beach

Here's the full scene:

8.Dick Cheney's utterly chilling parting words to America at the end of Vice.

Dick Cheney says he did what needed to be done to protect America, then says, "It has been my honor to be your servant. You chose me, and I did what you asked.
Plan B Entertainment

Here's the full scene:

9.The speech Keyser Söze makes as he gets away in The Usual Suspects.

The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. And like that, he's gone

Here's the full scene:

10.Mark's decision to choose life after stealing the money in Trainspotting.

—Ma3lst
Channel Four Films

Here's the full scene:

11.Ed Bell talking to his wife about the dreams he had the previous night, both of which were about his father, in No Country for Old Men.

Bell talks about knowing his father is waiting for him in some cold, snowy darkness, then waking up
Miramax

Here's the full scene:

12.Charlie Chaplin's appeal to the better nature of humanity in The Great Dictator.

Charlie Chaplin talks about how greed has ruined humanity, and how our natural instinct is to take care of one another

Here's the full scene:

13.Paul's admission that he fears the mystical longevity granted to him by John Coffey in The Green Mile.

Paul admits how afraid he is of the length of the life in front of him

Here's the final scene:

14.Sam's rousing speech to Frodo at the conclusion of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

—Beans265
New Line Cinema

Here's the full scene:

15.Kim Ki-woo's letter to his father in Parasite.

Ki-Woo promises to buy the house where his father is trapped
Barunson E&A

Here's the full scene:

16.The essay left behind for Mr. Vernon to read in The Breakfast Club.

—jasontredecim

Here's the full scene:

17.Jules' Biblical monologue to Ringo in Pulp Fiction.

Jules quotes a Bible verse about the fury and vengeance of God while pointing a gun at Ringo
Miramax

Here's the full scene (the monologue begins at 6:20):

18.Leonard's parting thoughts in Memento.

Leonard says, I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still here. Do I believe the world's still here?

Here's the full scene:

19.Patrick Bateman's (ultimately useless, according to him) confession in American Psycho.

Patrick Bateman admits his continued and unpunished evil, then adds, this confession has meant nothing

Here's the full scene:

20.Salieri's efforts to absolve the world's "mediocrities" in Amadeus.

Salieri calls himself the champion and patron saint of mediocrities while being wheeled through an asylum

Here's the full scene:

21.The creepily detached voiceover announcing the demise of Earth at the end of Beneath the Planet of the Apes.

In one of the countless billions of galaxies in the universe lies a medium-sized star. And one of its satellites, a green and insignificant planet, is now dead.

Here's the full scene:

22.Chuck's final speech in Cast Away.

Chuck decides to keep on breathing even in sadness, because who knows what the tide could bring?
20th Century Fox

Here's the final scene:

23.And finally: The grown-up Gordie's partly spoken, partly written ode to his childhood best friend, Chris, in Stand by Me.

—Juice_Stanton

Here's the full scene:

What are your favorite movie and TV monologues? Tell us about them in the comments!