The Dark Side of the Hero: 29 Movies Where the Protagonist Realizes He’s Not the Good Guy at the End

1. Falling Down 1993，IMDB Rating: 7.6，Douban Rating: 8.0
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Falling Down is a psychological thriller on a guy losing control from social and personal conflicts. Divested ex-engineer William Foster breaks down on a road to his daughter’s celebration and confronts issues that expose his aggressive side. He runs across retired police sergeant Prendergast, which sets off a dramatic insight of his actual self. Seeking closure, Foster faces Prendergast and admits his dark nature.
2. Shutter Island 2010，IMDB Rating: 8.2，Douban Rating: 8.8
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Shutter Island is a 2010 neo-noir psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels, a U.S. marshal who investigates the disappearance of a patient from a psychiatric facility on an isolated island. Along with his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), Teddy uncovers a shocking truth about the place and himself.
3. Primal Fear 1996，IMDB Rating: 7.7，Douban Rating: 8.5
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Richard Gere stars Martin Vail in the 1996 courtroom thriller Primal Fear, a well-known defense attorney assigned to Aaron Stampler, a teenage altar boy accused of killing and mutilating a Catholic archbishop. Edward Norton’s Aaron in his cinematic debut suffers from forgetfulness and a stutter and says he is innocent. Vail looks into the matter, though, and discovers …
4. Fight Club 1999，IMDB Rating: 8.8，Douban Rating: 9.0
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Fight Club 1999 is a film based on the novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. It tells the story of an unnamed narrator (Edward Norton) who suffers from insomnia and dissatisfaction with his white-collar job. He meets Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), a charismatic soap salesman who introduces him to an underground fight club, where men vent their frustrations and unleash their primal instincts. The narrator becomes addicted to the fight club, which soon evolves into a larger anti-consumerist and anti-corporate movement called Project Mayhem, led by Tyler.
5. Memento 2000，IMDB Rating: 8.4，Douban Rating: 8.6
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Memento is a 2000 film directed by Christopher Nolan, based on a short story by his brother Jonathan Nolan. The film follows Leonard Shelby, a man who suffers from anterograde amnesia, which prevents him from forming new memories. He uses a system of photographs, notes, and tattoos to track down the man who killed his wife, but he also has to deal with the manipulation of others who may have ulterior motives.
6. The Others 2001，IMDB Rating: 7.6，Douban Rating: 8.2
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The Others is a 2001 horror film that explores the theme of self-deception and the consequences of living in denial. The film follows Grace, a devout Catholic mother who lives with her two children, Anne and Nicholas, in a secluded mansion on the Channel Island of Jersey. The children suffer from a rare condition that makes them allergic to sunlight, so Grace keeps the house in perpetual darkness and follows strict rules to protect them.
7. Pumpkinhead 1988，IMDB Rating: 6.2，Douban Rating: 5.9
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Pumpkinhead 1988 is a supernatural horror film that features a vengeful demon summoned by a grieving father. The film is directed by Stan Winston, who is known for his special effects work on films like The Terminator, Aliens, and Jurassic Park. The film is based on a poem by Ed Justin and has a cult following among horror fans.
8. Identity 2003，IMDB Rating: 7.3，Douban Rating: 8.8
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Identity is a mystery thriller film that follows ten strangers who are stranded at a remote motel during a storm and are killed off one by one by an unknown assailant. The film is inspired by Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None, and has a twist ending that reveals the true identity of the killer and the connection between the characters. The film explores the theme of dissociative identity disorder, as the protagonist realizes he is not the good guy at the end, but one of the personalities of a convicted murderer who is facing execution.
9. The Sixth Sense 1999，IMDB Rating: 8.1，Douban Rating: 8.9
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The Sixth Sense is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist who tries to help Cole Sear, a young boy who can see and communicate with the dead. The movie explores the themes of guilt, redemption, and self-deception, as Malcolm and Cole struggle to cope with their abilities and their pasts. The movie was a critical and commercial success, earning six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay for M. Night Shyamalan, Best Supporting Actor for Haley Joel Osment, and Best Supporting Actress for Toni Collette.
10. The Usual Suspects 1995，IMDB Rating: 8.5，Douban Rating: 8.6
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The Usual Suspects is a 1995 thriller film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Christopher McQuarrie. It stars Kevin Spacey as Roger “Verbal” Kint, a disabled con man who is one of the only two survivors of a massacre and fire on a ship docked in Los Angeles. He tells the story of how he and four other criminals, played by Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Pollak, and Benicio Del Toro, were hired by a mysterious crime lord named Keyser Söze to steal $91 million worth of cocaine from a rival gang.
11. The Machinist 2004，IMDB Rating: 7.7，Douban Rating: 7.6
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The Machinist is a psychological thriller that explores the themes of guilt, identity, and self-deception. The protagonist, Trevor Reznik, is a machinist who suffers from extreme insomnia and paranoia. He becomes involved in a series of mysterious events that make him doubt his own sanity and reality. He is haunted by a mysterious man named Ivan, who he believes is responsible for a horrific accident at his workplace that cost his coworker his arm. He also finds clues that suggest he is being framed for a hit-and-run murder. He tries to find answers by investigating Ivan’s identity and whereabouts, but he only discovers more disturbing secrets about himself and his past.
12. The Prestige 2006，IMDB Rating: 8.5，Douban Rating: 8.9
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The Prestige is a film about two rival magicians in 1890s London who compete to create the ultimate illusion and face the consequences of their choices. The film is based on the novel by Christopher Priest and directed by Christopher Nolan, who is known for his complex and nonlinear storytelling. The film stars Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, a showman who seeks to discover the secret of his enemy’s trick, and Christian Bale as Alfred Borden, a mysterious and obsessive magician who has a dark secret of his own. The film also features Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla, the inventor who plays a crucial role in the plot.
13. American Psycho 2000，IMDB Rating: 7.6，Douban Rating: 7.8
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American Psycho is a 2000 satirical psychological horror film based on the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis. It stars Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, a New York City investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer.
14. The Truman Show 1998，IMDB Rating: 8.1，Douban Rating: 9.3
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The Truman Show is a psychological comedy-drama film that explores the theme of simulated reality and the nature of free will. The film stars Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, a man who has been living his entire life as the unwitting star of a reality TV show that broadcasts his every move to millions of viewers. Truman’s world is a giant dome filled with actors and hidden cameras, controlled by the show’s creator and executive producer, Christof (Ed Harris).
15. The Game 1997，IMDB Rating: 7.8，Douban Rating: 7.7
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The Game 1997 is a mystery thriller film directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas as Nicholas Van Orton, a wealthy and isolated investment banker who receives a strange birthday gift from his estranged brother Conrad (Sean Penn). The gift is a voucher for a game offered by a company called Consumer Recreation Services (CRS), which promises to provide a unique and life-changing experience. Nicholas decides to apply for the game, but soon regrets it as he finds himself in a series of dangerous and bizarre situations that blur the line between reality and fiction. He becomes paranoid and desperate to end the game, but he does not know who to trust or how to escape.
16. Old Boy 2003，IMDB Rating: 8.4，Douban Rating: 8.2
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Old Boy (2003) is an action-thriller film from South Korea, directed by Park Chan-wook. Based on the Japanese manga Old Boy, it tells the story of Oh Dae-su (played by Choi Min-sik), who was imprisoned for 15 years without reason and plans revenge to uncover the identity and motives of his captor. The film won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and received worldwide acclaim.
17. The Talented Mr. Ripley 1999，IMDB Rating: 7.4，Douban Rating: 8.2
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The Talented Mr. Ripley is a psychological thriller based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith, set in the 1950s. It follows the story of Tom Ripley, a con artist who is hired by a wealthy businessman to persuade his son Dickie, a spoiled playboy living in Italy, to return home. However, Ripley becomes obsessed with Dickie and his lavish lifestyle, and resorts to extreme measures to keep up his deception and identity theft.
18. Atonement 2007，IMDB Rating: 7.8，Douban Rating: 8.4
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Atonement is a film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel of the same name, directed by Joe Wright and starring James McAvoy, Keira Knightley, Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, and Vanessa Redgrave. It tells the story of a young girl, Briony Tallis, who falsely accuses her sister’s lover, Robbie Turner, of raping her cousin, Lola Quincey, in 1935. This accusation destroys the lives of Robbie and Cecilia, Briony’s sister, who are separated by war and social class. Briony spends the rest of her life trying to atone for her mistake, while Robbie and Cecilia struggle to survive and reunite.
19. Unforgiven 1992，IMDB Rating: 8.2，Douban Rating: 8.5
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Unforgiven 1992 is a revisionist western film that challenges the traditional myths and morals of the genre. It tells the story of William Munny, a former outlaw and killer who comes out of retirement to hunt down two cowboys who slashed a prostitute’s face in a town ruled by a ruthless sheriff. Along with his old friend Ned Logan and a young wannabe gunslinger, the Schofield Kid, Munny faces his past and his present in a violent and unforgiving world.
20. Blade Runner 1982，IMDB Rating: 8.1，Douban Rating: 8.4
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Blade Runner 1982 is a science fiction film that explores the theme of what it means to be human in a dystopian future where bio-engineered androids called replicants are hunted down by special agents known as blade runners. The film is based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick and directed by Ridley Scott.
21. Angel Heart 1987，IMDB Rating: 7.2，Douban Rating: 7.1
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In 1955 New Orleans, small-time private investigator Harry Angel is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cypher to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite, but the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.
22. Triangle 2009，IMDB Rating: 6.9，Douban Rating: 8.5
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Five friends set sail and their yacht is overturned by a strange and sudden storm. A mysterious ship arrives to rescue them, and what happens next cannot be explained.
23. I Am Legend 2007，IMDB Rating: 7.2，Douban Rating: 8.2
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Years after a plague kills most of humanity and transforms the rest into monsters, the sole survivor in New York City struggles valiantly to find a cure.
24. Predestination 2014，IMDB Rating: 7.4，Douban Rating: 8.0
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As his last assignment, a temporal agent is tasked to travel back in time and prevent a bomb attack in New York in 1975. The hunt, however, turns out to be beyond the bounds of possibility.
25. Looper 2012，IMDB Rating: 7.4，Douban Rating: 6.9
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In 2074, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent into the past, where a hired gun awaits – someone like Joe – who one day learns the mob wants to ‘close the loop’ by sending back Joe’s future self for assassination.
26. Enders Game 2013，IMDB Rating: 6.6，Douban Rating: 7.1
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Young Ender Wiggin is recruited by the International Military to lead the fight against the Formics, an insectoid alien race who had previously tried to invade Earth and had inflicted heavy losses on humankind.
27. Remember 2015，IMDB Rating: 7.5，Douban Rating: 8.2
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With the aid of a fellow Auschwitz survivor and a hand-written letter, an elderly man with dementia goes in search of the person he believes to be responsible for the death of his family in the death camp to kill him himself.
28. Impostor 2001，IMDB Rating: 6.1，Douban Rating: 6.8
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In the future, an alien race uses androids as bombs to attack Earth. A government weapons specialist is accused of being one such android and sets out to prove his innocence.
29. Upgrade 2018，IMDB Rating: 7.5，Douban Rating: 8.2
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Set in the near-future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life. But when the world of Grey, a self-labeled technophobe, is turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant.