Kevin's Watch

In the tradition of the latest 'best of ____ in film' posts, how about a 'best film deaths' thread?

My personal pick goes to, in this order:

1. The Death of Lord Washizu (Toshiro Mifune) at the end of Throne of Blood. Stunning sequence and the death includes, in my opinion, the most flawless stop-motion effect ever in film.
2. Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) falling from the Nakatomi building in Die Hard. Easily the best 'man falling to his death' ever filmed.
3. Cain's (John Hurt) death from the chest burster in Alien.
4. Lord Macbeth's (Jon Finch) death in the Roman Polanski version of Macbeth.
5. Emperor Caligula's (Malcolm McDowell) assasination in Caligula.

Wallace (Gibson) in Braveheart.
Marvin (Phil LaMarr) in Pulp Fiction
Major Kong (Slim Pickens) in Dr. Strangelove
Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) in Fight Club (you knew that was coming)

Syl wrote:Wallace (Gibson) in Braveheart.
Marvin (Phil LaMarr) in Pulp Fiction
Major Kong (Slim Pickens) in Dr. Strangelove
Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) in Fight Club (you knew that was coming)

All excellent choices (as was Hans Gruber's). I'd add Amilyn's (Paul Reubens) death in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

I am sure these are not what you mean by death scenes, as they (mostly) occur off camera. But I am always affected the most by the deaths of Bambi's mother (Bambi) and Simba's father (The Lion King).

The killing of Yeller in Old Yeller gets me everytime too (man I love Disney films)...

And the "death" of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey...

...yeah, I watch far more animated and family films than dramas and action...

Menolly wrote:
And the "death" of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey...

Damn good choice . . .

All excellent choices (as was Hans Gruber's). I'd add Amilyn's (Paul Reubens) death in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Classic!

Benjamin Moss (J.R. Bourne) in 13 Ghosts. Ouch!
Quellek (Patrick Breen) Galaxy Quest. "By Graphar's Hammer you shall be avenged!"
President Dale (Jack Nicholson) Mars Attacks!
Billy (Jack Black) Mars Attacks!

Boromir's in FotR made me cry at the theater, and John Goodman's death in Raising Arizona-priceless.

I agree with Menolly -- HAL from 2001.
Kikuchiyo from The Seven Samurai
Boromir from The Fellowship of the Ring
Imperial Regent Alia Atreides in the Children of Dune Mini-series

Cail wrote:

Syl wrote:Wallace (Gibson) in Braveheart.
Marvin (Phil LaMarr) in Pulp Fiction
Major Kong (Slim Pickens) in Dr. Strangelove
Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) in Fight Club (you knew that was coming)

All excellent choices (as was Hans Gruber's). I'd add Amilyn's (Paul Reubens) death in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Which also qualifies as the longest death scene . . . so long as you're one of those who sticks around to the end of the credits.

Oooohhhhh......Ahhhhhhhhhh....Oooooooooooooo.....Mmmmmmmmm

My favorite: Roy Batty's death in Blade Runner
Joe Pesci's character in GoodFellas
Gomer Pyle in Full Metal Jacket
Everyone who dies in The Godfather (especially Sonny)
Everyone who dies in Godfather, Part II (especially the old Don getting sliced open)
Randall P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
The end of Taxi Driver
Russian roulette in The Deer Hunter


But nothing beats this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7gIpuIVE3k

Montressor wrote:

Menolly wrote:
And the "death" of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey...

Damn good choice . . .

*blushing*

Thank you sir.

For some reason, I have always linked that scene in my mind with the degeneration of Charlie in the short story Flowers for Algernon. They have nothing to do with each other. Yet, when I think of one, I think of the other. So for me, it's sort of a double whammy.

Chris Walken in the Deer Hunter

Spock in STII

John Hurt in Alien

The Detective falling down the Stairs and being killed in Psycho!!!

Toth is RotLA...the BEST EVER:

That lady drowning in The Abyss. *shudder*

Cagney-freaking out on his way to the electric chair in Angels With Dirty Faces.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Alec Guiness falling on the dynomite plunger in Bridge on the River Kwai.

Bonnie and Cylde-nasty

Easy Rider when the rednecks blow Fonda and Hopper away.

And one of the most moving and gutwrenching is Henry Fonda and his sons trying to prevent Joe Stampers from drowning under a felled tree as the river rises in Sometimes a Great Notion-so Ken Kesey (who also wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest) knows how to write intense death scenes...

Painful to watch is the french guy in "The Green Mile" the one the jerky guy purposefully doesn't wet the sponge for. Ugh.

Well, it's on my mind because I recently saw it:
The death of the Kagemusha (Shadow Warrior) at the end of the movie of the same name.

That's the beautiful Kurosawa where the boat-cairn-prye floats out in the sunset? (or dawn) right? I saw it at the RKO theater in NYC with my mom around...ah...78-79.

I think you may be refering to the clan leader being buried in the lake. It is the same movie though.

The Kagemusha, a thief originally, has been impersonating the clan leader, who died as a result of wounds received from a sniper, for nearly three years. He was exposed as an impersonator though and cast out. However he had a loyalty to the clan and followed them as they went into a battle wherethe clan's army were slaughtered by the firearms of the enemy. The end of the movie showed the Kagmusha, alone charging the enemy position. He was hit and stumbled into a nearby stream where he fell dead. The final scene a shot from above of the Kagemusha's body floating past the submerged but visible banner of the clan leader he was impersonating.