12 of Cinema's Most Timeless Debates

Warning: spoilers ahead for the conclusion of James Cameron’s Titanic. As the ship sinks into the ocean, Rose, portrayed by Kate Winslet, clings to a large piece of floating debris: a wooden 'door' she holds onto. Many have argued that it was large and strong enough for Jack (played by Leo DiCaprio) to have shared with her, potentially allowing him to survive the icy waters of the North Atlantic until help arrived. However, the situation is more complex than it appears. The object might not even be a door—it’s referred to in the script as a mere piece of debris, and the actual prop could be based on a carved piece of paneling recovered from the real Titanic, which is now housed in the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

In 2012, the Mythbusters team concluded that Rose could have survived hypothermia had she remained on the debris, and that Jack might have survived too, had he joined her. Cameron’s typical response? Jack’s death was essential to the story, and no amount of debate can alter that. Nevertheless, the meticulous director hasn’t let go of the issue—he has commissioned a new study to air in February on National Geographic, aiming to prove that, while the two may have fit on the debris, they wouldn’t have been able to float on it. The debate will continue, as Cameron goes head-to-head with the Mythbusters team to settle the issue once and for all.

Where to stream: Showtime

“Shane, come back!”

Shane, the quiet former gunfighter, takes a job as a ranch hand in 1889 Wyoming, only to be drawn into a conflict between the Starrett family and a cattle baron determined to drive them off their land. In the final act, Shane kills several men to protect the family, but a wound leaves his fate uncertain as he rides away. Is he leaving to spare Joey (Brandon deWilde) the pain of watching him die? Or is he simply fed up with the constant calls for him to return? Is his departure a form of exile as penance for the killings he’s had to commit, or is he seeking peace in death? Perhaps he has realized that trying to settle into the life of a rancher is futile, and that living would only cause more pain for Marian and Joey. While the actual answer may not matter much, I tend to believe Shane lives—not happily, but in a tragic recognition that his kind no longer belongs in the world he tried to join.

Unlike the scientifically-driven debates around the buoyancy of floating debris in Titanic, there are no clear clues in the film itself to answer the question of Shane’s fate. But an online search reveals that people feel passionately about the ending they envision.

Where to stream: Paramount+

The answer to this debate is clear, but only if you’ve watched a specific version of the 1977 Star Wars film. In the original release, Han Solo shoots first when confronted by the bounty hunter Greedo, with little provocation. A disputed copy of the original shooting script seems to confirm this, but George Lucas has questioned the authenticity of that version. The 1997 Special Edition included several changes (some good, some controversial), but the most discussed alteration was the revision of the Han/Greedo scene: Greedo shoots first...and misses dramatically. While it’s understandable that Lucas may have wanted to present Han as less of a cold-blooded killer, the change feels forced and awkward. It’s hard to believe that Greedo, standing mere feet away, could miss his target so badly. Plus, it’s strange that Greedo would attempt to kill Han just seconds after telling him he’d have to explain himself to Jabba the Hutt. But in the 1997 release, Greedo clearly shoots first.

In the latest Blu-ray restoration, the scene is once again altered, with both shooting almost simultaneously, and Greedo hilariously shouting “maclunkey!” as he falls. The original movie novelization offers no additional details, leaving fans to choose which version of the scene they prefer. This debate isn’t about finding a definitive answer but rather deciding, Rashomon-style, which interpretation you accept. It’s likely that characters within the Star Wars universe have been arguing over this legendary standoff for a long time.

Where to stream: Disney+

Kiss Me Deadly is not only one of the most significant films of the late noir era but also one of its most bizarre. For the most part, it adheres to genre conventions, following a hardboiled detective as he encounters a series of women with questionable motives. However, the film introduces unexpected elements, such as technology that, while not all that unusual today, feels a bit out of place for the 1950s. Then there’s the mysterious box—a ‘whatsit,’ as it’s called in the movie—that everyone is eager to get their hands on. Is it filled with drugs, jewels, or government secrets? The box is finally opened in the last act, but it remains a mystery. We know it emits heat, but we also see an eerie glow and hear unsettling sounds that hint at something supernatural. Given the film’s Cold War-era setting, it's tempting to think the box holds some kind of advanced nuclear material, but it feels even stranger than that. The different versions of the film’s ending only add to the confusion. The box ultimately causes massive destruction, which some viewers (including myself) interpret as being nearly apocalyptic.

So, what’s inside the box? This question was revisited by Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction, though it remains just as elusive. (I personally like the theory that it’s Marcellus Wallace’s soul.)

Where to stream: The Criterion Channel

Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner introduced Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter played by Harrison Ford, tasked with hunting down and ‘retiring’ replicants—androids that are eerily close to humans, yet difficult to identify. Throughout the film, there are subtle hints (such as glowing eyes, dreams of a unicorn, and other details found only in the director’s cut) suggesting that Deckard himself may be a replicant, though he doesn’t seem to have the androids’ superhuman strength. The film never confirms this one way or the other. The sequel, Blade Runner 2049, largely avoids settling the matter, though by the end of the film, Deckard has had a child with the replicant Rachael, complicating the question further.

As for what the filmmakers think, there’s a clear division: director Ridley Scott insists that Deckard is a replicant, while Harrison Ford, along with writer Hampton Francher, believes that he is not. Despite these conflicting views, the question remains unresolved, and the mystery lingers, like the film’s famous line: ‘All our answers washed away, like tears in rain.’

Where to stream: Digital rental

In The Breakfast Club, Judd Nelson’s John Bender is sneaking through the school’s ducts, telling a dirty joke (because who hasn’t been there?):

“A naked blonde walks into a bar, carrying a poodle under one arm and a six-foot salami under the other. The bartender says, ‘I don’t suppose you’ll be needing a drink?’ The blonde replies...”

Unfortunately, just as Bender is about to deliver the punchline, he falls through the vent, leaving the joke hanging. It doesn’t seem to be a joke that exists anywhere else, so any interpretation must come from what’s shown on screen. I think I have an idea of how it might have ended, but it’s probably best if I leave it to your imagination.

Where to stream: Hulu

At the chilling conclusion of John Carpenter's iconic The Thing (a remake of the classic 1951 film The Thing from Another World), MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs (Keith David) are left as the last survivors in the smoldering ruins of an Antarctic research station. A parasitic alien with the horrifying ability to mimic and replace humans has incited a reign of terror and distrust, resulting in the deaths of most of the crew. Now, it’s just these two. Childs has been off-screen for a while, and MacReady’s true identity is also in question. One of them might be the alien, but we never get the answer, and neither do they. Together, they share a bottle of Scotch, acknowledging that whether they’re human or not, death is inevitable, so they might as well enjoy their last moments. While this acceptance may be cathartic for the characters, it leaves us—the audience—with lingering uncertainty about who we’ve truly been following throughout the film.

Where to stream: Digital rental

In Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, no clear explanation is ever provided for why the birds begin attacking the residents of Bodega Bay, and that ambiguity only enhances the film’s power. Their aggressive behavior mirrors the turbulent relationships between the human characters, implying that moments of true harmony among them are the only things that pacify the otherwise vicious birds.

If you're looking for a more tangible explanation, there's a possible link to real-life events. In addition to the Daphne du Maurier short story the film is based on, Hitchcock was inspired by reports in 1961 of birds (specifically, sooty shearwaters) exhibiting erratic behavior in North Monterey Bay, California—flying into objects and crashing to the ground. At the time, the cause of this phenomenon was unclear, but a similar event involving brown pelicans occurred in the same region. In both cases, the likely culprit was a diatom called Pseudo-nitzschia. So, in a somewhat roundabout way, Hitchcock’s birds might be traced back to toxic algae.

Where to stream: The Criterion Channel

“Wait a second lads, I’ve got a brilliant plan...”

...is how The Italian Job wraps up, with Michael Caine’s Charlie Croker and his crew perched precariously on the edge of a literal cliff. This comes after the successful heist of a fortune in gold bullion and one of the most iconic car chases in cinematic history, set through the streets of Turin, Italy. Everything seems perfect until the film delivers one of its greatest pranks on its characters: just as the team, with the gold safely in tow, are about to escape, a small steering mistake sends their coach crashing through a guardrail, nearly sending them over the edge, with the gold pulling them down with it.

And that’s where the film leaves them. Hanging off the cliff since 1969. Did Croker, the mastermind, truly have another trick up his sleeve? Or is this where his luck has finally run out?

Scientists have even tried to find a solution to the predicament, with the Royal Society of Chemistry holding a competition to resolve it. John Godwin’s winning idea involved gang members escaping from the bus while slowly replacing their weight with stones, balancing the front of the vehicle while continuing to add weight to the rear, allowing the gold to be retrieved safely. But honestly, better them than me.

Where to stream: Paramount+

A sharp critique of what was once dubbed yuppie culture, Mary Harron’s American Psycho (based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel) delves into the life of serial killer Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), who operates within the ruthless world of Wall Street finance. Or does it? By the end of the film, Bateman’s violent actions have become so extreme they verge on the absurd, and his confession to his lawyer is dismissed as a joke. So, did he really commit any murders? Is he a killer, or just a sadist with violent fantasies that he’s come to believe are real? (Neither is particularly flattering.)

The movie’s exaggerated violence makes it easy to think that Bateman might just be imagining it all. Money may seem abstract, but the people who control the nation's capital hold the power to manipulate our lives as surely as if they were standing over us with a chainsaw. It’s an apt metaphor, if nothing else. We also discover that people view Bateman as rather shallow and dull, so his violent fantasies could easily be a product of his delusions of grandeur. If we accept that Bateman did commit the murders, it adds a chilling layer of complexity: who would suspect a clean-cut, well-groomed, wealthy white man of being capable of the bloodshed we witness on screen?

Where to stream: HBO Max

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dom Cobb specializes in planting ideas and extracting secrets through layers of dreams, using his skills in corporate espionage. There’s a perilous risk: if Cobb and his team aren’t careful, they could become trapped in their subconscious, unable to distinguish between dream and reality. To avoid this, each member carries a totem, a personal object to confirm whether they’re in the real world or still dreaming. For Cobb, it’s a spinning top. In reality, the top will eventually fall, but in a dream, it can spin indefinitely. (But what if he dreams the top falls? What then?)

The film concludes with Cobb joyfully reunited with his children, offering a happy ending in every sense. Still, he spins his totem one last time, testing whether he’s awake or still dreaming, but he walks away before the result is clear. He has everything he wants, and so the “reality” of it doesn’t matter to him—though it leaves the audience questioning. We see the top wobble briefly, but it never actually falls by the time the credits roll. Is he awake? Dreaming? Or does the question itself not matter?

Where to stream: Hulu

Michael Keaton, the once and future Batman, stars as Riggan in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Oscar-winning Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). The actor, whose prime is long past, finds himself teetering on the edge of a mental breakdown as he prepares for his Broadway debut. Though he's most famous for portraying a superhero, Riggan has never fully escaped the shadow of his past role. His daughter, dealing with her own struggles with addiction, is torn between love and resentment toward him. Meanwhile, his close friend Mike (Edward Norton) is more interested in living within the fabricated world of the theater than facing the harsh reality of life, which could shed light on the film’s ending.

In the film's climactic moment, during a live performance, Riggan swaps his prop gun for a real one and shoots himself in the face... only to awaken in the hospital with his daughter at his side. He discovers that he has survived, and the play has been met with critical acclaim. As things seem to take a positive turn, his bandages, however, recall the iconic Birdman persona. In a final moment, Riggan steps onto the hospital window ledge and takes flight into the sky, with his daughter watching in awe. What are we meant to make of this apparent happy ending? Is it a metaphorical death by suicide onstage? Or perhaps a later suicide in the hospital? Riggan’s daughter (Emma Stone) looks down first, then up as he leaps. Iñárritu’s penchant for magical realism might hold the key to understanding the ending, depending on what you, the viewer, interpret from it.

Where to stream: Digital rental