Search Movie Plot Summaries & Endings Explained

History · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Breakthrough (1979)

Set in late May 1944 as the German retreat on the Eastern Front, Captain Stransky (Helmut Griem) orders Sergeant Steiner (Richard Burton) to blow up a railway tunnel to stop the Soviet advance. Steiner’s platoon is halted by a Russian tank and the mission fails. He then takes leave to Paris as the Allied invasion of Normandy begins, confronting shifting loyalties and harsh war realities.

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Horror · Dark tone

Don’t Go Near the Park (1979)

Cursed by the tribe’s queen 12,000 years ago, two super‑human survivors are forced to age forever unless they reclaim eternal youth. In modern Los Angeles they plot to restore it by ritually sacrificing a 16‑year‑old virgin. An investigative reporter and a runaway teen uncover the scheme, sparking a terrifying showdown as the city’s night descends.

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Mystery · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Dominique (1979)

A story of the macabre… with a different twist. The wife of a greedy man comes back to haunt him after he scares her to death.

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Crime · Dark tone · Sad ending

A Dangerous Toy (1979)

A meek accountant buys himself a gun and finds out he’s a natural marksman. After the friend who introduced him to shooting is killed by gangsters, he seeks revenge.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bleak ending

The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)

After marrying a young soldier in the final days of World II, Maria watches him disappear without a trace. Facing a shattered country and a future without her husband, she must depend on her striking beauty and fierce ambition to secure work, rebuild her life, and endure the harsh realities of the post‑war era on her own.

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Crime · Tense tone · Ambiguous ending

Murder by Natural Causes (1979)

An intricate whodunit follows a celebrated mentalist whose unfaithful wife schemes to frighten him to death, while the family’s loyal confidant and the wife’s ham‑actor lover become entangled in the plot. The story blends adult drama with relentless twists, offering a literate, puzzle‑like mystery.

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Drama · Tense tone · Happy ending

Snake in the Monkey’s Shadow (1979)

A young peasant, tormented by the local nobility, travels to the head of a martial‑arts school to master drunken boxing. After he defeats his former bullies, the nobles' patriarch challenges the drunken master, who easily overpowers the aristocrats. In the end, humiliated, the nobles hire two snake‑style assassins, who slaughter everyone—except the peasant boy.

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Drama · Happy ending

Elvis (1979)

The King lives on! This biopic traces Elvis Presley’s life from his impoverished childhood to his meteoric rise to stardom to his triumphant conquering of Las Vegas.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Maula Jatt (1979)

Maula Jat tells the true story of it’s eponymous hero’s blood feud with the local “gunda” Nuri Nath.

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Family · Light tone · Happy ending

The North Avenue Irregulars (1979)

When organized crime establishes a foothold in a quiet town, the local minister teams up with a band of spirited churchwomen—known as Hill’s Angels—to take down the crooks, employing unconventional and comedic tactics since neither the FBI nor the CIA can help.

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Mystery · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

Agatha (1979)

On December 4, 1926, the world‑renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie vanished without a trace. The eleven days that followed become a gripping mystery themselves, more suspenseful than any of her own novels. Set in England, an American journalist embarks on a determined search to uncover what really happened to Christie.

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Bleak tone · Sad ending

Quintet (1979)

Amid a perpetual winter that has driven humanity toward extinction, survivors pass the endless days by obsessively playing a board game known as Quintet. A handful of rebels take the game to a deadly extreme, using living participants as pieces; only the final victor lives, while the rest are eliminated.

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Action · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

The Warriors (1979)

A teenage gamer named Jack finds himself unexpectedly transported through time and space to an ancient empire. Relying on his gaming skills, he must navigate a dangerous world and outwit a ruthless barbarian king. His mission involves rescuing a princess and finding a way to return home, facing perilous challenges along the way.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

Uncle Marin, the Billionaire (1979)

Gogu hides his uncle Marin, an Oltenian peasant, in a suite at a resort hotel meant for the billionaire Mr. Juvett. Marin, awed by the resort’s fashions, confounds guests with his simple garb and gadgets. Gangsters learn Juvett arrived with a million ransom for his kidnapped daughter, and a rival crew, mistaking Marin for Juvett, seeks the money.

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Comedy · Light tone

Diary of a Young Comic (1979)

Set as a nostalgic snapshot of Los Angeles’ comedy clubs in the 1970s, the film follows a fictionalized young Richard Lewis, a New York comic who arrives in L.A. hoping to launch his career. Through his early gigs and encounters, it captures the ambitions, humor and challenges of breaking into the stand‑up scene.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Sad ending

Picnic at Hanging Rock (1979)

In 1900s Australia, students from Appleyard College travel to Hanging Rock for a Valentine’s Day picnic. With the headmistress allowing more freedom, the girls embrace a sense of liberation. However, the day takes a dark turn when Miranda, Irma, Marion, and their mathematics teacher, Miss McCraw, mysteriously vanish. The unsettling disappearance leaves the remaining students and staff grappling with a haunting mystery and the unsettling feeling that something inexplicable lies hidden within the ancient rock formations.

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Adventure · Tense tone · Bittersweet ending

The Great Train Robbery (1979)

Set in Victorian London, a skilled thief named Edward Pierce plans an ambitious and audacious heist: robbing a train carrying a valuable treasure. He assembles a team including a talented safecracker and a mysterious woman to execute his intricate scheme. The group must overcome numerous obstacles as they attempt to infiltrate the train and steal its precious cargo of gold.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Sad ending

Heart of the Forest (1979)

Set in the post‑Franco era, the film follows a former Republican fighter who has spent a decade hidden in the hills after the Spanish Civil War. Villagers aid him in evading relentless police searches. When an exiled comrade returns to persuade him to surrender, their encounter ends in tragedy for both.

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Drama · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal (1979)

A 1911 blaze at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City killed 146 workers, mainly young women. The subsequent inquiry exposed the company's blatant neglect of safety in favor of profit, prompting new labor safety legislation and the birth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union.

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Drama · Hopeful tone · Bittersweet ending

The Corn Is Green (1979)

A resolute teacher, committed to bringing literacy to the destitute and uneducated children of a bleak Welsh village, becomes convinced that one pupil possesses the spark of brilliance. She dedicates herself to nurturing his hidden talent, believing his potential could transcend the hardships around them.

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Horror · Dark tone · Bleak ending

Screams of a Winter Night (1979)

In the icy glow of moonlight, ten college friends spend a winter weekend camping at Lake Durand, staying in an old cabin where the original owners were found dead. Local Native Americans claim the site is haunted by the spirit Shataba. As night falls, the group exchanges scary stories, and the darkness reveals a terrifying presence.

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Comedy · Light tone · Happy ending

The Incredible Kung Fu Master (1979)

Tung Wei, eager to master kung fu, studies both Hung Gar and Wing Chun under two teachers. When a jealous master sows discord between them, Tung must pick a side, but a greater threat emerges: the Tiger Master, who challenges both masters to mortal combat. Outmatched, Tung seeks the guidance of legendary trainer Sammo Hung to prepare for the showdown.

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Thriller · Dark tone · Bleak ending

The Bermuda Triangle (1979)

Documentary on with strange goings-on in the ‘devil’s triangle’.

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Romance · Melancholic tone · Bittersweet ending

Love on the Run (1979)

Now thirty, proofreader Antoine Doinel is caught in France’s first no‑fault divorce, which sparks a media frenzy that revives his tangled past of four women, nine affairs and countless alibis. Unsure about his budding romance with a shop clerk, he impulsively runs away with an old flame.

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Drama · Tense tone · Happy ending

Thirisoolam (1979)

Thirisoolam is a 1979 Tamil film directed by K. Vijayan. It has Sivaji Ganesan playing three different roles.

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Horror · Dark tone · Sad ending

Perversion (1979)

A wealthy businessman gets a woman drunk, rapes her and bites off her nipple. Using his influence and a lawyer, he avoids conviction by claiming she tried to extort him. He keeps his debauchery until he meets a new woman who resists his advances and seeks friendship. He falls in love, reforms, and devotes himself to her, unaware of her hidden agenda.

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Action · Hopeful tone · Happy ending

Captain America (1979)

Artist Steve Rogers survives an assassination attempt by spies who killed his father for secret documents. A secret serum heals him and gives him super strength and lightning reflexes. An agency equips him with a motorcycle and an indestructible shield. As Sentinel of Liberty, he hunts his father’s killers and battles nation’s enemies, Captain America.

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Horror · Dark tone · Bittersweet ending

Neeya? (1979)

When Kamal’s friends inadvertently slay a female serpent, a second, vengeful serpent begins stalking them, murdering each friend in turn. The creature then assumes human form, infiltrating their lives to exact its final revenge on Kamal himself, ultimately ending the deadly cycle.

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Comedy · Happy ending

Take Down (1979)

An unqualified teacher is unexpectedly thrust into the role of coach when a small group of senior students form a wrestling team. Determined to end a nine‑year losing streak against their rival school, they must overcome inexperience, bond as a team, and learn that true victory comes from effort and camaraderie.

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Romance · Bittersweet tone · Mixed ending

Ernesto (1979)

Set in early‑1900s Trieste, Ernesto is a young Italian Jew who works in his uncle’s factory. Uncertain about his sexual identity, he embarks on a clandestine relationship with one of his uncle’s employees, navigating personal desire amid family expectations and the social constraints of the era.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Sad ending

The Crying Woman (1979)

After a long absence, Jacques returns to the isolated hillside home in Provence he shares with his wife Dominique and their daughter Lola. Dominique, overwhelmed with tears, had asked him to leave because she cannot bear watching him see her weep. Jacques watches her turmoil as she realizes he loves another woman and drives him out again.

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Drama · Melancholic tone · Ambiguous ending

The Theme (1979)

A biting Russian comedy follows metropolitan writer Kim Yesenin, who heads to the provinces for fresh inspiration. He finds a lifestyle starkly different from his city world and accidentally observes a love triangle between the intellectual Sasha and dissident Andrei, who plans to leave for America. Shocked by the absurd, melancholy‑free drama, Kim decides to return to Moscow.

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Hopeful tone · Happy ending

Sargam (1979)

Deaf and mute, a young woman suffers abuse from her stepmother and turns to classical dance as an escape. When she meets compassionate musician Raju, he supports her training and encourages her dream of becoming a professional dancer. The film is a Hindi remake of the 1978 Telugu classic Siri Siri Muvva.

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War · Tense tone · Mixed ending

November 1828 (1979)

A group of Javanese villagers are driven to revolt against the Dutch colonialists in this historical drama, which revolves around the themes of loyalty and treachery.

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Drama · Tense tone · Happy ending

The Mystery of Chess Boxing (1979)

Evil Chun Shan uses chess boxing and a five-element ninja style to terrorize the martial arts world until he is challenged in a series of battles, then destroyed.

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Action · Tense tone

The Bodyguard (1979)

During the early 1920s Russian Civil War in Central Asia, a Red Army unit captures Sultan Mazar, leader of the Basmachi rebels, and orders seasoned mountain trapper Mirzo to escort him to Bukhara. Mirzo, his brother Kova, the Sultan, his daughter Zaranghis and slave Saifulla cross treacherous ridges, harsh weather and hostile forces en route.

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Comedy · Whimsical tone · Ambiguous ending

Attack of the Helping Hand! (1979)

The four‑fingered white glove that serves as General Mills’ Hamburger Helper mascot — called the Helping Hand or Lefty — steps out of the product’s packaging and comes to life in a woman’s kitchen, where it begins to grope her and attempts to kill her. It is shown as a left‑hand glove with four fingers and appears on all Hamburger Helper boxes.

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Drama · Tense tone · Bleak ending

Sinhasan (1979)

The film follows a fierce contest for the chief‑minister’s seat as the incumbent faces a rival from within his own party, with political intrigue unfolding behind the scenes through the eyes of a journalist. Directed by Jabbar Patel and drawn from Arun Sadhu’s novels Mumbai Dinank and Simhasan, this early Indian political drama features Arun Sarnaik, Shriram Lagoo and Nilu Phule.

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Action · Tense tone · Happy ending

The Fearless Young Boxer (1979)

While on a fishing trip, Shao Lung watches his father slain by the ruthless Wu Pa Feng. Shaken, he seeks refuge with his uncle’s troupe of travelling kung‑fu acrobats, where he trains intensively, mastering martial arts and acrobatic techniques. Determined, Lung prepares to exact his long‑awaited revenge.

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Action · Light tone · Happy ending

Bolo (1979)

The super human Beast from the East takes on all comers!

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