Top 10 Great Movie Deaths

[Auggie]

RopeOfSilicon.com

Movies love to kill people, and actors love to die (preferably slowly and with a great close-up). Yet, more often than not, film fatalities are an accountant's errand. Just another tally mark in the body count. This isn't a list celebrating the art of ludicrous squibs and exploding craniums. The following movie deaths deliver more oomph than henchmen #4 getting steamrolled by the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile.

These are the death scenes we remember long after the actors have screamed, slobbered, cried, coughed, wheezed, or drawn out to William Shatner-esque lengths their final words. They are a perfect combination of acting, writing, filmmaking, image and idea. Some are shocking. Some are sad or bittersweet. Others funny. Some deaths you cheer on. All are memorable.

Let's begin to experience ten (technically eleven) great ends, and considering the nature of this list, yes, there are spoilers, and if you haven't seen some of these movies you have some NetFlixing to do.

10: David Carradine walks it out in Kill Bill Vol. 2
09: Henry Fonda eats a harmonica in Once Upon a Time in the West
08: Slim Pickens gets nuked in Dr. Strangelove and Bob Dylan-ized in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
07: Wallace Shawn doesn't laugh it off in The Princess Bride
06: Marlon Brando absorbs a machete in Apocalypse Now
05: John Hurt births a Xenomorph in Alien
04: Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty fight the law and the law wins in Bonnie and Clyde
03: Janet Leigh showers with a knife in Psycho
02: King Kong can't fly in King Kong
01: Margaret Hamilton takes a steam bath in The Wizard of Oz

CLIPS & MORE: http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/article/top-10-great-movie-deaths

[Moondog]

1. Good list. I haven't seen #7, but otherwise .... n/t

[Curtland1015]

3. You've never seen "The Princess Bride"!?!?!?

Burn the heretic!

:P

[Moondog]

5. Nope.

What can I say? I don't have kids.

[sarge43]

8. Neither do I, but it's not a kiddie flick.

It's about family and true love. Check it out; you won't be disappointed.

Read the book, too. It's even better than the movie.

[Moondog]

13. OK, I'll check it out. My must-reading is backed up quite a bit,

so I'll probably limit myself to the flick for the time being. Thanks for the tip. :hi:

[sarge43]

14. Enjoy. n/t

[pokerfan]

58. Never seen "The Princess Bride"!?!?!?

Inconceivable!

The Wager: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SL4c9gCRSKY

[Lethe]

2. the death scene in Spoorloos is pretty awesome

quite frankly, terrifying, but not surprising...

[begin_within]

4. No Tokyo Story or Au Hasard Balthazar, or the many times Harold dies in Harold and Maude?

[sarge43]

6. Christopher Walken bets against the house, Deer Hunter n/t

[AllenVanAllen]

7. How about Belloq, Dietrich and Toht

experiencing the power of the Lost Ark?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiSp0MGRi0M

[Va Lefty]

9. Newman and Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

[kentauros]

10. Newman and Redford in The Sting

even though it was fake ;)

[Va Lefty]

11. Yeah, great flick

loved the plot twists.

[HopeHoops]

12. NOTHING touches Butch and Sundance in Bolivia

There is no other contender.

[Deja Q]

15. No Spock?

:cry:

[Mad_Dem_X]

16. Kevin Spacey in "L.A. Confidential"

Shot in the stomach by James Cromwell, as he sits at the kitchen table. And the famous last words: "Rollo...Tomasi..."

[Lionel Mandrake]

20. It looked to me as if he was shot in the chest.

But that is a nit. It was a truly memorable scene.

I liked the way James Cromwell asked, not "who else knows about this?", but what another cop's reaction had been. Cromwell's character was smarter than most bad guys.

[Paladin]

22. Great Scene From A Great Movie. (n/t)

[Lionel Mandrake]

51. I agree 100%

I keep watching "LA Confidential" over and over again.

[Mad_Dem_X]

40. Sorry - yes, it was the chest.

D'oh!

[Lionel Mandrake]

49. Later on, someone said Jack Vincennes had been shot in the heart.

But he didn't bleed very much.

Did that puzzle anyone else besides me?

[NNadir]

29. Spacey did a good job of getting blown away in "American Beauty" as well.

[Mad_Dem_X]

41. And also in "Seven"

He's had several great death scenes.

[pokerfan]

17. Greedo in Star Wars

David Warner in The Omen

Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove

Tim Roth in Rob Roy

Joe Pesci in Casino

Scatman Crothers in The Shining

Sean Bean in Lord of the Rings

Rober Shaw in Jaws

William Dafoe in Platoon

[AllenVanAllen]

32. "Sean Bean in Lord of the Rings"

Very good choice. That scene chokes me up when I watch it still.

The final battle of Aragorn and Lurtz was an excellent "death scene" as well, of course for much different reasons. :)

[darkstar3]

60. I think he wins

The Definitive Heroic Death award. I'm still debating on who gets the Definitive Villainous Death award...

[AllenVanAllen]

71. I agree. It's classic!

Aragorn ~ I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to you I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail.


Boromir ~ Our people, our people. I would have would have followed you, my brother... my captain... my king.


Aragorn ~ Be at peace, Son of Gondor.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd0MF_qkyMw :hi:

[Coventina]

79. +1 n/t

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

84. He was in "Lord of the Rings?"

I missed that scene.

[AllenVanAllen]

86. He was on the "double secret" extended cut

of LOTR. :P

[sarge43]

18. Dupe, deleted n/t

[sarge43]

19. James Cagney, White Heat

Patrick Breen, Galaxy Quest
John Cazale, Godfather II
Bernard Hill, LOTR, The Return of the King
David Prowse, Star Wars VI
Peter O'Toole, Lawrence of Arabia

[EndersDame]

21. The WORST death was Wash in Serenity!

Right when he was having his heroic moment and it was totally pointless

[sarge43]

24. That was a heartbreaker. Poor Zoe. n/t

[NewJeffCT]

33. That was certainly a shocker

but, I think it was to show that death can sometimes be pointless.

[Ahpook]

23. Don't like to be a downer but, Easy Rider has always made me nervous

Where the fuck is America? She has become nothing but more of a drag.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMc-T6z0YyM

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

25. Goldfinger getting sucked out of an airplane

[sarge43]

85. I thought it was Oddjob that got toothpasted. n/t

[Iggo]

26. Paul Reubens' character...

...in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie, the one with Kristy Swanson.

[wickerwoman]

27. Indiana Jones Nazi face-melting

Messala trampled by chariots in Ben Hur

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid...

Will think of more...

[NNadir]

28. Faye Dunaway died much better in "Chinatown" than in "Bonnie and Clyde."

[tigereye]

43. boy Chinatown is an amazing film...

[martymar64]

30. His name was Robert Paulsen

Enough said

[AllenVanAllen]

31. The death of the "Death Star "

When it came out, I had never heard a crown clap and cheer so loud in a theater before, like they did when the Death Star exploded.



:applause::applause::applause:

[GoCubsGo]

52. I like the death of Jabba the Hutt...

Almost as good as when Darth zapped the Emporer to death.

[AllenVanAllen]

54. Star Wars, filled with great bad guy demises!

:hi:

[alphafemale]

34. How is it possible that I am the first one to mention Thelma and Louise? nt

[peekaloo]

35. NO! They had a magic flying car !

:hi:

[KamaAina]

46. Actually, my sequel opens at the bottom of the canyon

where a grizzled old prospector is leading a burro drawing a cartload of hay.

The next thing you hear is CRAAAAASSSSSHHHHHH!!! :-)

[Call Me Wesley]

36. All wrong:

Peter Seller's death in 'The Party:'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_JWywDqgRs&feature=PlayList&p=9D569371716AAB01&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=20

[Mendocino]

37. All Quiet On The Western Front

If you've seen the film, you know. If you haven't, you should.

[Captain Hilts]

65. Yes, I know. Interesting that Lew Ayres was a concientious objector for WWII, but served

as a medic, I believe.

[cherish44]

38. Heather Chandler in Heathers

Lots of gagging and shouting "Corn Nuts!" before falling face first into the table. Wow epic!

[MilesColtrane]

39. Mr. Kinny meets ED-209

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQKnlXhSdWs

[Tuesday Afternoon]

42. The Wicker Man (original)

[tigereye]

44. yeah, that one is so creepy!

[Iggo]

47. There's an original?

Because, well...Nicholas Cage.

Know'm say'n?

Well, he sucks, in case I hadn't made that clear.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

48. You must see the original...(1973)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070917/

A police sergeant is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. Stranger still, however, are the rituals that take place there.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

45. Braveheart and Gladiator

[A-Schwarzenegger]

50. Who KICKED THE BUCKET in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World?

[El Supremo]

68. Jimmy Durante

Funny scene

[Bucky]

53. How did Edwin G Robinson in "Soylent Green" not make this list?

It's not just great, it's downright poetic. It's how I wanna go (minus the hookers).

[jmowreader]

55. No, no, no!!! Not even close!

1. Rutger Hauer in "Blade Runner"
2. "Mr. Kenny" in "Robocop"
3. "Alex Murphy" in "Robocop"
4. "Dick Jones" in "Robocop"
5. The deaths of Clarence Boddicker's gang at the abandoned steel mill in "Robocop"
6. The shootout in the cocaine factory in "Robocop"
7. "Hans Gruber" in "Die Hard"
8. "Damon Killian" in "The Running Man"
9. "Sol" in "Soylent Green"
10. "Major Kong" in "Dr. Strangelove"

Come to think of it, Robocop was just full to the brim with great death scenes. But if I can't populate half the list with death scenes from the same movie, give me Mr. Kenny out of Robocop, move Hans et al up and use these deaths instead:

7a. "Colonel Kurtz" in "Apocalypse Now"
8a. "Richter" in "Total Recall" ("See you at the party, Richter!")
9a. "Riff" and "Bernardo" in "West Side Story" (changed from Tony because the rumble in which they died was better than the whacking Tony endured)
10a. The T-101 Terminator in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"

[WinkyDink]

56. Brando, "Godfather"; V. Leigh, "Anna Karenina"; Bogarde, "A Tale of 2 Cities"; #1 = Girl, "Jaws."

[av8rdave]

57. Danny DeVito in "Heist"

"Don't you want to hear my last words?"

Bruce Willis: "I just did."

BANG

[Twillig]

80. Bruce Willis?

I shall now consult the interwebs to confirm my doubt:

Gene Hackman, as I thought.


Was it a different Willis Movie(hell, I can't remember Hackman saying that, if in fact he did)?

[av8rdave]

82. NO, you are quite correct. My feeble memory and all...

[darkstar3]

59. Oh Come ON

How did it take so many replies before "Hans Gruber" made this list?

Also, I have a few more to add to the list that EVERYONE somehow managed to forget:

The Evil Queen, Bavmorda!! - Willow
Raymond Culitri - Gone in 60 Seconds (come on, you gotta love the coffin)
Kahn - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn
Gandalf the Gray - The Fellowship of the Ring (Yes, he died and came back to life.)

And just for the world's biggest "cheese factor:"
Salim Abu Aziz - True Lies (I groan every time I watch this movie, and yet I still love it.)

ETA: Sir Miles Folcanet - Robin Hood (20th Century Fox 1991 made for TV version)
-Falling into a crowd of torch-wielding villagers as the friar shouts "Welcome to HELL" = classic

[MrScorpio]

61. What? No Spartacus?

Man, that list sucks

[El Supremo]

69. The gladiator chief when he got drowned in a pot of soup.

[MrScorpio]

70. That was a good one

Nice call

[bookworm65t]

62. Pulp Fiction

The character who was "accidentally" shot in the back seat, spewing his guts all over Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta. I never laughed so hard and yet so guiltily in my life.

[edbermac]

63. Amy Irving telepathically blowing up John Cassavetes at the end of The Fury

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njSrP-B4VN0

[Captain Hilts]

64. Cagney in Public Enemy and White Heat. nt

In White Heat:

[Brother Buzz]

66. Jimmy Durante literally kicked an old bucket when he died

in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

at exactly 9:11 into the film. Jonathan Winters: "That guy's dead"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJvQF4KtuPI&feature=related

[frogmarch]

67. Richard Burton and

Jean Simmons walk up into heaven together after presumably being fed to lions by the Romans in The Robe.

All right, those weren't great movie deaths, but they're all I can think of right now.

[sarge43]

78. In an interview Simmons talked about that scene.

She said Burton and she were on a treadmill and it was everything they could do to keep their faces on and not crack up. Ms Simmons, you weren't the only one.

[frogmarch]

81. Thanks for that tidbit. :-) Funny! nt

[sarge43]

83. You're welcome.

She clearly enjoyed the memory; she was giggling as she recalled it.

[sarge43]

72. Edward G Robinson, Little Caesar "Mother of Mercy! Is this the end of Rico?"

William Holden, Sunset Blvd.

Dana Andrews, The Oxbow Incident

[HamdenRice]

73. "Blade Runner" - Roy (Rutger Hauer) shockingly saves Deckert (Harrison Ford), then dies

this after having been trying to kill him, but not until after Roy sums up the tragedy of his life and death:

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've 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. "

Supposedly, Hauer improvised those lines!

[NecklyTyler]

74. Dar Robinson shooting at Burt Reynolds as he falls off the building in "Stick"

[peekaloo]

75. M. Emmett Walsh in 'Blood Simple'.

die laughing

[HamdenRice]

76. Oh, how can we leave out the many, many hilarious deaths of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day??? nt

[sarge43]

77. And Phil's n/t