Which 7 Movie Deaths Left Lasting Impressions for You?
All of us remember specific movie deaths, either of a main character or a beloved supporting character, that stay with us forever. I read an article similar to this on NBC, but my list differed quite a bit from theirs! My list begins with:
1.) Captain Miller in Saving Private Ryan -- It just isn't right when Captain Miller dies. He was a history teacher, for Pete's Sake, not a warrior-- but he became a very good soldier, and his death stays with me, even today. He may be a fictional character, but he represents all those who didn't make it home:
2.) Jim Malone in The Untouchables -- Sean Connery's death is horrible to me, because he will always be James Bond, and his death just about did me in. But he dies so bravely, so Irishly, and keeps on going with how many? 50? Bullet holes in him?
3.) The King in The King and I -- Yul Brynner was one of my favorite actors of the 60's... In this movie, he was handsome, ruled well, danced well, (if a bit exuberantly), and died spectacularly, with his friend beside him, and his son taking the reigns. Terrible video, but the best I could do:
4.) Thelma and Louise, in Thelma and Louise -- Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are tops as two best friends who take a "vacation". But things begin to go wrong when a young Brad Pitt attempts to rape Thelma. Best friends for life, their deaths were spectacular:
5.) William Wallace in Braveheart -- Mel Gibson plays William Wallace, and his torture and death for rebelling against the crown is truly evisceral... Maybe I can relate to it a bit too much, because 3 years after it came out, I had a C-section-- and, at the time, compared it to being drawn and quartered. While William Wallace died, I didn't. Needless to say.
6.) Sophie and Nathan in Sophie's Choice -- Sophie is a concentration camp survivor haunted by her nightmares, and Nathan is mentally ill and obsessive. No end for them, but death-- Still, I found their double suicide horribly sad. Some people are so broken, they can't be fixed.
7.) Billy and Wyatt in Easy Rider -- I never saw this coming... Should have, probably, but didn't. What a SHOCK!
So, this is my 7! What's yours?
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I want to know what the hello the king was dying of? He looked just fine to me, then Poof-- he was dead.
So, what are your favorite movie death scenes?
I have only one, Jessica Lang in "Sweet Dreams" falling through the clouds, No motor, finally it catches and pulls up, Blam !!! freaking mountain. That one freaked me out about the most of any death scenes. I knew she died in a crash, but never I had I been so connected with the terror.
I have no idea if the scene had anything to do with reality, but it left a mark.
A voice for the ages.
Those are good ones. The death of the Jewish Soldier knifed by the Nazi in Private Ryan actually affected me more than Tom getting capped.
The overall most disturbing death in cinema for me was,
It broke my little goober heart.
The opening murder scene in One False Move. And, the girl at the end.
Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke
Bonnie and Clyde
The death of Lucas Blacks character in All the Pretty Horses
Mads Mikkelsen in Valhalla Rising. Why would you let a guy named Mads Mikkelsen die?
There are a million of em. Those just off the top of my pointed and knotty noggin.
Dang.. two of mine already taken. The King and I and Old Yeller. And Dowser you're right, the kings death was all of a sudden. Never could figure that one out either.
OK so now I have to come up with my 7.
Well, the first two are easy.
Midnight Cowboy
Of course there's The Deer Hunter
West side storyfinale. No video to be found
Blade Runner time to die.
Saul's death in Soylant Green which of course can't be undone by:
And Connor loses his bonnie Heather in Highlander
I had to add this last one.. even though it's not the death scene... it always chokes me up. I think of a friend who has gone from my childhood.
Good choices. Especially Blade Runner, great soliloquy, and Midnight Cowboy (if it's free, it ain't stealing).
While I liked the movie Vanilla Sky , I hated the casting of Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz - they are way too cheezy for a movie like this, so this was one of my favorite parts. (sorry about the ad in the beginning - I'm not too good with youtube postings yet)
And who could forget this oops in Pulp Fiction?
Or the tasty burger scene.
Don't watch this one unless you have a strong stomach. One of the most dimented movies ever made - Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer
Gosh, YES!
She actually crashed into a hillside in Missouri, maybe in the Ozarks, which are mini-mountains... But, it was an AWFUL crash-- and I loved her.
Patsy Cline is one of my favorites... Sweet Dreams, Midnight, I Fall to Pieces, etc. She was something! (and I wanted to thump Charlie Dick, her husband!)
Wow, Tex, those are ALL good! I saw Old Yeller as an adult-- none of us in the family could stand to see a dog die, and still, when animals die, I'm upset. Even scenes where I know the animal didn't die, but theatrically lies there, "dead", gets me upset!
I had forgotten Cool Hand Luke! Thanks for reminding me! And then, Bonnie and Clyde-- who could forget that one!
I'm going to have to watch these others-- I've never seen them! Thanks, Tex, for your kind participation!
Oh gosh, rls8r-- I've never seen Night of the Living Dead -- I'm going to have to watch that one! All Quiet on the Western Front -- that is a movie that keeps me from sleeping at night. OR the book-- just can't stand it! Very moving!!!
Great choices! Thanks!
Golly, flameaway, that's haunting! Poor man! I haven't seen that one, either- I saw one made in the 30s, I think...
GREAT scene! Thanks!
Those are great choices-- Spock dying just about killed me, too... I left the movie in tears. And the loss of Connor's love was truly awful! Soylent Green in on my watchlist on my kindle-- I remember how shocked I was! Blade Runner--oh golly! That was so sad! And Midnight Cowboy-- I didn't see that when it came out, but years later-- and that was just so sad.
Wonderful additions to our list!
Thanks so much!
LOL, Tex! You're right!
The Departed had the most concentrated flurry of unexpected death I ever saw, but it was the final one that really was a mind blower for me:
Oh my gosh! I've not seen any of these-- but my curiosity is perked! Those are great scenes! Thanks, Hal, for contributing!!
Oh Mike, that WAS hard to watch! I think Tommy Lee Jones is a fabulous actor-- his face truly shows what the character is feeling! (I remember The Eyes of Laura Mars , and how he changed from loving cop to sinister killer...) WOW!
Thanks so much for contributing!
OH MY GOSH-- YES! I saw this in a movie theater by myself. There was no one but me in the theater, and I literally sobbed during this scene. (It was an afternoon matinee.)
GREAT movie and hugely moving! (I wonder where that darling kid is, today?) Thanks for playing!
I was going to say John Wayne in The Shootist, too, but had to limit my list... And yes, the Sands of Iwo Jima was awful when he got shot... This, too, is a good one to remember! All great choices!
Thanks so much for contributing!
I've not seen this movie, either-- (Where have I been?) But you're right, that IS mind-blowing! Thanks for sharing this one!
Thank GOD I saw this when I was too young to understand what death meant-- I think I was about 3, or so. But even I was sad and upset that Bambi's mom wasn't going to be around anymore. Haven't watched it since-- read the book, but haven't seen the movie. Maybe now that I'm growed, I should watch it again-- but I think it would be too upsetting!
Good choice! Thanks, Robert!
Yes, you're right! Obviously, even though I was too young at the time to truly understand, I still haven't re-watched it!
Thanks for contributing!!!
It is amazing to me how few videos there are out there of what I consider to be pivotal scenes... And BOY did you hit the nail on the head with that one. I saw that in college at the frat house with all my friends, and ALL of us were in tears! Horrible! Devastating!
Great addition!
I only have two...Easy Rider, the death of Billy and Wyatt. Probably because I was a biker with very long hair at the time.
The other is the death scene of Sgt. Elias in ''Platoon''...When he his wounded and on his knees and looks to the heavens and his arms reach to the Creator. WOW,that one really got to me. Again, probably because I spent some time in Vietnam
A lot of great choices in the article and the posts.
Tex,
I love thatsoliloquy. What pathos. Midnight Cowboy, it's more in the context of the story, just like The Deer Hunter.
It wastraumaticfor a child!
One that has always got to me was from Schindler's List. I know - the movie is a nonstop cringe-fest of actual human history, with awful depictions of hate and death - but there is one that really stood out for me. The "workers" are building a new facility, but the foundation is showing signs of instability. One of them is a formally educated civil engineer, and runs to the guard to alert him that the soils are not stable enough to support the load, and that they need to immediately stop the work and fix the problem. This is sound advice that isobviously beyond the intelligence level of the guards. He asks her a couple more questions just to make sure he understands the situation, then instructs her to kneal as he casually executes her. It's so chilling and horrific. I couldn't find a clip of it, but then I wasn't looking forward to viewing it again either.
How could I forget that one! I balled my eyes out!
OMG another one I forgot! I can still hear the music playing to that one.
Fun article Dowser and so many good choices already noted.
Just off the top of my head I think some of the most powerful/moving death scenes I remember came in the 1986 move, At Close Range
Christopher Walken plays a ruthless and very cold hearted Irish mobster who comes back into the life of his two sons after being away for years. The oldest son, played by Sean Penn, is not too impressed but the younger one, played by Chris Penn, idolizes his fathers gangster ways and tries to emulate him by forming his own teenage gang.
The first death that creped me out was when Walken took care of a man who he thought was going to snitch on him as Sen watched. It was done so calmly and so coldly it was just evil . (The first 5 minutes of this clip)
Then when Chris Penns young gang screws up in a way that threatens his Dads, Walken and his gang dig a hole out in the bonnies and, in the dead of night, one by one they lure the boys out to the hole and just kill them at the edge. The boys never see it coming.
The last to go was Chris Penn and the look on his face, when he finally understood what his father was about to do to him, ...
I had forgotten At Close Range. Good pick.
Ever see an real early Sean Penn movie called Bad Boys?
Another good one that had been erased from my tapes. Thanks. I may have to do a repeat on this one.
I'm a Cline fan too.
Some good ones to re-watch are being posted here. Most fun.
My daughter is even worse than I am about the death or hurting of animals. We can watch a movie where a gazillion humans are gruesomely offed but hurt one dog or cat and she goes into conniptions. Bless her heart. Gotta admit, I'm kind of the same way.
Thanks for posting this. It's a hoot and a half. Maybe two hoots. And a holler.
I think that may have been Rutger Hauer's greatest moment in cinema.
Indeed. Henry is a hard row to hoe. Michael Rooker can now be seen on The Walking Dead.
Yup. Great scene in a great movie. I'm quite partial to Oat Operas.
Sure do Tex, though mainly just that final fight scene.
Sean Penn has really had a storied career.
He does indeed.
It has been a coons age since last I saw Bad Boys. The clearest memory of it is the cocola cans in the pillow case fight scene.
That was an amazing movie and it was also true! My heart sunk as you watched Walken (White) watch one of his hench men drown the boy. He acted like it was nothing. Talk about a cold blooded killer...still serving time BTW.
The one that popped into my head right away was when Trevor died in Pay It Forward. I cried for a long time.
...
How do you post the actual YouTube video here??
What's the name of that movie? Hally Hoo Hazmat when he was but a tyke. I like Spacey, especially his smarmy characters, just don't recognize this one.
Some of the saddest endings for me are:
"The House of Mirth" and the suicide of Lily Bart. Book or movie. If I watch it I already start crying at the beginning as I know whats gonna happen.
"Dancer in the Dark" with Bjork by Director Lars Von Trier. Made me hysterical the first time I saw it. You can't watch that movie alone.
"The Philadelphia Story" with Tom Hanks. When I left the theater I looked like a raccoon, I sobbed like a baby in the theater. While I was leaving people were patting my back. My friends laughed at me. So sad.
"Biko" the movie about the life and death of Steven Biko. Another movie that had me in hysterics when he dies in the movie, beaten and broken.
and the TV Show Beauty and the Beast. When Catherine died I was so sad. I still can't see the actor Stephen McHattie in anything without thinking "you killed Catherine!"
Probably could think of some more but these always stick with me. When you talk about animals in film, always gets me if they die or suffer. The War Horse, I was glad I didn't watch that in the theater, the outcome was fine but the journey...oh my gosh!
I couldnt stop bawling at the end of The Fountain... it really hits home for me because of my profession.
Also, whenever I hear closing credits song for Pay it Forward, I cry a little...
And... I third or fourth or whatever Lonesome Dove... OMG Gus!
Lastly, I wanted to say it wasnt brad pitt's character in Thelma and Louise that Raped... it was some jackass at the bar andLouise shot him...
Pay it forward
The crash takes place at about 2:30. Here is a message left on the YouTube video--
LOL-- I'm with her. Humans? nyeh, but animals? That makes me ill...
I loved Rutgar Hower-- in anything!
What WERE they thinking? That and Dumbo's mom-- What a nightmare!
Here you go, dear Kavika--
That whole movie was awful to watch...
UGH, how awful! And so typical of those times...
I think this is the clip you were looking for-- I saw this years ago, but I don't think I could watch it again... Too sad!
Here you go:
Yup, don't think I WANT to watch this one!
Sorry! for the double posting...
I haven't seen ANY of these-- including War Horse! I don't think I could-- Uncle Louie was in that war...
But I will certainly take your word for it that these were moving scenes! Thanks so much for your contributions!
AHHHH, I mis-remembered. It's been awhile since I saw it!
The Fountain-- what was that about?
I start crying the minute Jack walks into the hotel where whats her face is watching the kids in the pool. The look on her face....tragic. And she looks at him like he is just what she needs.
I start crying and don't stop until the end of the movie
That was an excellent scene and the music was well matched!
My never will forget death scene is when John Coffey is electrocuted at the end of "The Green Mile"
Others:
Steel Magnolias
Lion King
Terms of Endearment
The Longest Yard (the one with Burt Reynolds)
that's all I can think of right now
Icey..
You go to you tube and hit share and then hit embed and get the copy the code. Then you come here and hit the third icon from the left that look like film and a box will pop up and you paste the code into there. Hit save and done!
All are good ones!
I hope this horrendously long code works-- From Steel Magnolias:
Steel Magnolias MOVIECLIPS.com
Mufasa's death in The Lion King-- THIS was also a heartbreaker!
From Terms of Endearment-- I boohooed, loudly!
Here is the final scene in The Longest Yard-- but I don't think Burt Reynolds actually died, although he came close:
the one I remember was when the light bulb exploded, burning up one of my favorite prisoners....
GREAT contributions! Thanks!
I never got to see this movie, but it's on my "watchlist"... What a shame! Thanks for the great contribution!
Ok, I've got to add a couple more, that I didn't think of, last night!
The Russian Roulette scene in The Deer Hunter-- this shocked the Hello out of me!
Sonny's death in The Godfather:
Chrissie's death in Jaws:
The death of the gorilla in Gorillas In the Mist -- no video available, but I wanted to murder whoever killed that beautiful animal and cut off his head and hands...
Kane's death in Alien:
So, what do y'all think?
It's been forever since I've seen any of these movies! John Wayne dying was always a shock-- he was so larger than life, it didn't seem like he COULD die... Besides, his politics aside, I always loved him. We used to watch his movies and count the times he "emoted"-- in the movie In Harm's Way , he emotes about 23 times...
Song of Bernadette-- oh my, was that sad! I had forgotten that one! She was such a great actress! Jennifer Jones also starred in Since You Went Away , a wonderful old War Movie with Claudette Colbert, Hattie McDaniels, and Shirley Temple, and her fiance died-- and that was awful!
I know I've seen A Place in the Sun, but just can't seem to remember anything about it! We'll have to do a follow up article and vote for all these wonderful movies!!!
Thanks so much for your GREAT contributions!
Oh my gosh! How horrible! I've never seen that movie, but will add it to my list of things to watch... Thanks for your contribution!
Harrowing, for sure...
Oh well-- I don't care. When they died, it was shocking!
I'm not good at posting video clips, so I'll just say who and where.
Julia Robert's death in Steel Magnolias. It may be a chick flick, but the first time I watched it with my wife, it was about 4 weeks after she nearly died giving birth to our daughter (who was just completing month one of 3 in the Neonatal ICU).
The death of Old Yeller ripped the heart of a a 10 year old boy, and still does today, now that the boy is 49.
Spock in Wrath of Khan. Cheesy acting, but I like it.
I tend to be more of a wuss when it's movie death, and avoid them if I know they are coming. I don't tend to get choked up by a brave death in defense of family, friends, or country. I'm more likely to manfully look away from bambi's mom dying than a death in Saving Private Ryan- a movie I actually only watched once- it didn't impress me that much.
Great contributions, dear Neale! Thanks! Good to see you, too!!!
It has Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weise... she has a brain tumor and he is a scientist at the cutting edge of research for her disease. She's writing a book about the spainish search for the fountain of youth. Then there is also a story about his enlightenment and all three stories are kind of all together in one mesh mosh... It's kind of convoluted and the story has a few plot holes, but the whole him being the world expert on the cancer that his wife ends up withreally gets me.
The director also did Pi... The black Swan... Requiem for a Dream... and The Wrestler (which is also awesome)...
yes, that was a very moving scene-- wasn't he nice to come and see her?
Thank you for telling me about it-- I'll have to look for it! Thanks!!!
LOVE those pictures!!! GREAT!
Yes, I've wanted to see it forever-- I've got to get busy!!!
And all of them are excellent inclusions to our list!!! Wow!!!
And, I've actually seen all of them!
Boromir
Opie in Sons of Anarchy
Sappy? heart breaking, for sure!!! That whole movie was sad!
I love it when Dave unplugs Hal-- "My mind is going.... Daisy, daisy, give me your answer true..."
That was a weird movie, but I loved it!
I can't bear it when animals die, either... In fact, that is one of my criteria for any movies featuring animals-- Do they die? Do they suffer? I'm not going to see it...
I've never seen that one, either! Where HAVE I been?
Great contribution to our list!
Gettysburg is one of those movies where I am helpless from start to end. I shout at the screen--"NO, don't go there!", but they do anyway... Here is one of the most touching deaths-- General Armistead who learns of his best friend's General Hancock's wound:
I guess the saddest part is that the man who was playing General Armistead was dying of lung cancer... I can't think of his name-- but he was always one of my favorite actors. This was his last movie roles.
This is one sad, devastating movie. Can't stand to watch it, anymore...
thanks, Dowser. Yeah, I meant when Caretaker is killed in the Longest Yard
That was really sad!!! What a horrid shock! and what a way to go!
Sonny's death was inevitable, for sure... But his death was shocking to me when I saw it!
But, agree with you-- when Apollonia was killed-- I was saying "How Can That Be?", and then Fredo, ugh, that was sad-- but Michael had no choice. At least he waited until his mother was gone, so SHE didn't suffer it. I'll be honest-- I thought Michael's death, at the end of III, was sad, too. All his power, all that he had-- and he dies: old, alone, unloved, neglected-- and old man with a puppy...
Col. Kurtz death was awful, too... Any soldier's death is awful. (To me, anyway) But, it was great cinematography to compare it to the slaughter of a bull...
Great additions to the list, by the way!
Those are good ones, too!!!
I remember the sense of, "good, that's done", when Henry Fonda is shot in Once Upon a Time in the West, but was sad when Jason Robards died...
Great movies!
These are all great selections, and it looks like Old Yeller tops the list. It's my Number One as well. No matter how many times I've seen the movie I keep hoping the ending will be different.
My number two death scene is Denny, the Buckskin horse ridden by "The Man From Snowy River" who is shot and killed in the second movie. I bawl my eyes out every time I watch it.
Charles Bronson's death in Magnificent Seven. The deaths of all who perished were sad, but his was especially so because of his attachment to the children in the village.
Oh, my, the three deaths in West Side Story. Think of them still, and I saw that movie musical when I was barely a teen.
Richard Gere's friend who hung himself in An Officer And A Gentleman.
Leonardo Di Caprio's death in The Quick And The Dead.
Elvis Presley in Flaming Star.
Those are great ones to add to our list! I had forgotten Syd's death in An Officer and a Gentleman! That was awful! And I love Charles Bronson, in anything he's in!
GREAT nominees!
Dowser, I completely failed to mention the one and only, the unforgettable, the mighty KONG!
Not a dry eye in the theater when I saw the original in black and white as a child, or when I saw the remake in color with Jessica Lang.
I couldn't bear that one, either... He was just a big old animal. AND, he had feelings! How could they murder him?
It's really good to see you screminmimi!
Looks like many have been covered, some memorable or simply tragic, but I wanted to add one that as the title says, really left a lasting impression on me. Of the "Holy Shit!" variety.
I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen the movie, but the final murder in the movie Se7en (1995) Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey.
Oh, that's right, Bambi's mom. I still can't stand it.
Yes! This definitely left a lasting impression. I was much too young and I think also happened upon it on a weekend afternoon. Very sad and there is no way I would watch this clip again. All in all it was a great movie and wow they made this scene very real.
Was that Paul Newman with him?
Definitely one of mine too. I was about 4 years old when I saw that, was absolutely traumatized.
I don't know, I think it has it's place. What do you think a child's first exposure to the idea of death should be? The actual death of a family member is way more traumatic and something the will inevitably be experienced by everyone.
Older Disney movies,Grimm's fairy tales and similar stories at least conveyed to kids some sense of the fact that the real world can be a cruel and dangerous place. Today's kid's fare is almost entirely sanitized, presenting a world where there are only happy endings and no one ever actually dies.
Well, one can't control when one's family members die of illness or old age, or accident, etc. Death takes place all around us. Death is a part of life.
I can't imagine that a family doesn't have a death in the family-- from my own perspective. In my case, and in the case of my son, death has been a normal part of life.
I live with family antiques-- and where are the people that owned them originally? Those that I knew are long gone, and began dying off when I was 5. My son lost his grandmother when he was almost 3, his grandfather when he was 10, etc. I think, in our case, death has just been a part of our lives. While we have, naturally, grieved-- but it was a natural progression-- they were old, sick, and it was their time. Their deaths weren't unexpected, nor were they traumatic. They weren't shot, dragged away from their child, eaten by a witch, etc.
Getting an idea of death from movies isn't always that realistic. How many dogs die of rabies these days, like in Old Yeller? A few, I'm sure. But, most of us give our dogs the rabies shots, and when it comes time for them to die, we take them to the vet, and they are put down gently-- not shot in the head. See what I mean?
For little kids, some of these are unnecessarily traumatic. I see your point, too. I think everyone experiences a loved one's death at different times in their lives, and vastly different circumstances. Maybe it is unrealistic to see an actor get blown away in one movie, to resurface in another movie, happy and healthy.
I'm a Kesey fan.
That was a great scene. It's been a coon's age since last I saw the film but it's a goodun.
Leo gets shot
I thought this was a lot more mind blowing than the mark taking out matt.
the delacroix execution sticks out more for me in the green milebecause of the grusome nature of it.
On the serious side:
On the lighter side:
Yup. That's the scene is Saving Ryan's Privates that hit me as well.