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Best Acting During Dying Moments(Spoilers)

post #1 of 94
8/13/07 at 6:49pm
Thread Starter 
Was watching Platoon last night and as I watched Dafoe's death scene I tried to think of other similar scenes but had a hard time...

What would you guys list as some of the best acting during dying moments?
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post #2 of 94
8/13/07 at 6:51pm
Gerard Dépardieu in Cyrano de Bergerac.
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post #3 of 94
8/13/07 at 6:52pm
Gotta give it up for Kevin Spacey in L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.

You can see the life leave his eyes.
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post #4 of 94
8/13/07 at 6:56pm
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post #5 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:03pm
Delroy in Cider House.
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post #6 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:10pm
First person to say Carrie Anne Moss in MATRIX REVOLUTIONS gets stabbed in the chest with a piece of futureshrapnel.
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post #7 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:16pm
Chuck Heston in El Cid, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and Burton's Planet of the Apes.

Bloody bastards...
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post #8 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:16pm
Gio Ribisi's demise in SPR always gets me in the gut.
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post #9 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:17pm
Shit, didn't make it in time for the Roy Batty.


I really liked LAYER CAKE's final death scene, it made sense because we had been following the protagonist almost exclusiely, and so it was only fair that when he died it was done in almost a dismissive way.

Also, I really really liked Cheyenne's death in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST. "Go away, I don't want you to see me die", and his theme tune coming to a stop. Probably butchering his last words there, can't remember the exact line.

Also, at least personally I'm gonna prevent spoiling movies in this thread, it's fair to assume that people that haven't watched every single movie in the world could enjoy discussing death scenes here.

Edit - On second thought, fuck spoilers, this thread would be a pain to read if people did it.
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post #10 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry_Hill
Was watching Platoon last night and as I watched Dafoe's death scene I tried to think of other similar scenes but had a hard time...
Actually I kinda hate that scene. It's so goddamn cheesy.
It would have been pretty good if they had just showed the soldiers in the chopper suddenly seeing Elias run to his life, and then disappear into the jungle followed by those loads of vietnamese.

Imply that he really did die, but not showing it.
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post #11 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:24pm
Sterling Hayden in "The Godfather". The clutching of the throat, the crazy jaw movements, the head-plant onto the table.
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post #12 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:24pm
It would make more sense to name the movie, before the name of the character who dies. Believe it or not, not everyone has watched every movie ever released on this planet.
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post #13 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:25pm
Peter Weller when he's blown to bits in Robocop. The look of complete shock when is hand comes off MUST be what it's like. Once the pain sets in and everything else gets blown off...yup, i'd buy that for a dollar!
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post #14 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Brady
Sterling Hayden in "The Godfather". The clutching of the throat, the crazy jaw movements, the head-plant onto the table.
Hayden had a little bit of an advantage during this scene because they actually did shoot him in the head. They revived him using two car batteries and super glue. He was a tough motherfucker.
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post #15 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:42pm
Kill Bill: Bill killed.
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post #16 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Jim Slade
Kill Bill: Bill killed.
Bill's surprise at Uma having been taught the Five Points is the positively best detail. It's particularly good how, beyond just realising the fact that he is dead, Carradine also manages to convey a sense of hurt over HIM not having been taught the technique.
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post #17 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cognizant
It would make more sense to name the movie, before the name of the character who dies. Believe it or not, not everyone has watched every movie ever released on this planet.
It does say "spoilers" in the name of the thread...
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post #18 of 94
8/13/07 at 7:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus
Actually I kinda hate that scene. It's so goddamn cheesy.
I'll take issue with this. The only possible cheesy moments are Sheen's cringeworthy yells. Dafoe, on his own, makes the scene work.
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post #19 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bailey
Hayden had a little bit of an advantage during this scene because they actually did shoot him in the head. They revived him using two car batteries and super glue. He was a tough motherfucker.
He was a truly old-school tough guy. Mitchum had nothing on Hayden. Kubrick, Coppola, Altman. Hayden was where it was at.
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post #20 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by D. Richard
I'll take issue with this. The only possible cheesy moments are Sheen's cringeworthy yells. Dafoe, on his own, makes the scene work.
From imdb: Pockets of fake blood intended to simulate gunshot wounds to Elias's body during the famous "arm-raising" scene malfunctioned and never exploded. However, Willem Dafoe's performance in that take was considered so impressive that the scene was left as is.
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post #21 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:30pm
Tim Roth in Reservoir Dogs. I mean, he's basically dying for the length of the film, or at least the non-flashback parts.
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post #22 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:33pm
The only one besides Batty I can ever remember is Taye Diggs in Way of the Gun.
Annnd now that I think about it, the Death Twitch/Eye Gouge twitch by Daryl Hannah in BR/Kill Bill (though she didn't die in KB...or did she?
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post #23 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by samuraisix
the Death Twitch twitch by Daryl Hannah in BR
Twitch? More like hyper spasming.

And if you're writing Kill Bill's full name, please do bother to type Blade Runner.
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post #24 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:41pm
I've always found Adam Goldberg's death in Saving Private Ryan to be especially well-acted. The way he tries to ask the nazi to stop before he gets stabbed is chilling. And the camera lingering on Goldberg's face while life leaves it is very convincing. Congrats Adam Goldberg. Best stabbing ever.
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post #25 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:42pm
Naked Swimming Chick and Quint from JAWS. Both awesome, and scary.

Leonidas from 300. As he stands up after getting 2 arrows in him, you can see him accept his fate.

Miles Dyson from Terminator 2. The breathing, the sweating, the shaking - seems pretty hardcore. There was supposed to be a 1 frame flash of his family right before the bomb goes off, too.
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post #26 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:47pm
The two dudes who were slowly turning into zombies in Return of the Living Dead.
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post #27 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:52pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
Tim Roth in Reservoir Dogs. I mean, he's basically dying for the length of the film, or at least the non-flashback parts.
He was hurt. He was hurt real fuckin' bad. But he was not dying.
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post #28 of 94
8/13/07 at 8:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Dickson
Tim Roth in Reservoir Dogs. I mean, he's basically dying for the length of the film, or at least the non-flashback parts.
Yes yes yes - you beat me to it by 25 minutes.

Sonny Corleone at the toll booth and Carlo getting his at the end of The Godfather for selling Sonny out. Both really great death scenes that were both very much intertwined with each other.
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post #29 of 94
8/13/07 at 9:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SomeGuy
I've always found Adam Goldberg's death in Saving Private Ryan to be especially well-acted. The way he tries to ask the nazi to stop before he gets stabbed is chilling. And the camera lingering on Goldberg's face while life leaves it is very convincing. Congrats Adam Goldberg. Best stabbing ever.
I second this.
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post #30 of 94
8/13/07 at 9:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by thejumbo
Miles Dyson from Terminator 2. The breathing, the sweating, the shaking - seems pretty hardcore. There was supposed to be a 1 frame flash of his family right before the bomb goes off, too.
Oh man, YES. That was the most lasting image for me from that movie.
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post #31 of 94
8/13/07 at 9:11pm
Assuming this isn't limited to theatrical releases, I thought Ciarán Hinds did a damn good job as Julius Caesar on HBO's Rome.
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post #32 of 94
8/13/07 at 9:13pm
The assassin girl in Munich.
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post #33 of 94
8/13/07 at 9:23pm
Lance Hendricksen, Hard Target.

WOOP!!
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post #34 of 94
8/13/07 at 9:24pm
Travolta in Pulp Fiction?
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post #35 of 94
8/13/07 at 9:41pm
Pee Wee Herman in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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post #36 of 94
8/13/07 at 9:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by le Stephanois
The assassin girl in Munich.
Watched it on Saturday - VERY haunting.
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post #37 of 94
8/13/07 at 11:06pm
Can't believe it's taken this long to get to Sean Bean's Boromir.

"They took the little ones..."
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post #38 of 94
8/13/07 at 11:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SomeGuy
I've always found Adam Goldberg's death in Saving Private Ryan to be especially well-acted. The way he tries to ask the nazi to stop before he gets stabbed is chilling. And the camera lingering on Goldberg's face while life leaves it is very convincing. Congrats Adam Goldberg. Best stabbing ever.
His "Shhh, shhh, w-w-w-w-wait, wait, wa-wait, shh, w-w-wait" makes me cringe in a "Christ that feels so real" way.

I loved Nicholson's in The Departed. That was a completely surreal scene for me, for some reason.
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post #39 of 94
8/13/07 at 11:19pm
Dick Rude in Repo Man. "The lights are growin' dim, man..."
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post #40 of 94
8/13/07 at 11:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ianthe
Can't believe it's taken this long to get to Sean Bean's Boromir.

"They took the little ones..."
I'm going to add Gandalfs "death" at the hands of the Balrog to the list. As far as audience reactions to a character getting offed is concerned, Gandalf getting the ick provoked the biggest response to a topping I have ever witnessed in a theater. Technically it's not a death as such, but I remember a few people in our group who had never read the books being borderline traumatized when he lost his grip and fell to his dark shadowy doom.
Everyones performance in that sequence and just after was gloriously over the top but the movie nailed that part of the book. Mckellans final line was beautifully delivered.
Top stuff.
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post #41 of 94
8/14/07 at 12:01am
'Return of the Jedi' - Sebastian Shaw as Darth Vader, dying and being redeemed. His halting speech, along with the use of his eyes, really sold the scene.

Fuck Hayden Christianson. Shaw got robbed of being a ghost jedi in the final moments of the new Special Editions. Fuck him right in the ass.
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post #42 of 94
8/14/07 at 12:23am
The guy with the arrow through his head in Sin City. That one second where he realizes he's dead, and gives this annoyed groan.
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post #43 of 94
8/14/07 at 12:31am
Jean Reno in Léon.

"This... is from.. Mathilda"

Crying as I type this.
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post #44 of 94
8/14/07 at 12:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by le Stephanois
The assassin girl in Munich.
That scene always disturbed me because of the sheer normalcy of her reaction. She just stares, picks up the cat, sits down, like you know, these bullet holes may not be all that bad. Then the blood starts spilling out and that's that.
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post #45 of 94
8/14/07 at 12:38am
Alec Guinness's death fall in Bridge on the River Kwai

and I second
Bean as Boromir
reno as Leon
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post #46 of 94
8/14/07 at 12:50am
Shit, here's a few great ones (I think):

Hudson from Aliens: "Oh, you want some of this, too? FUCK YOU!"
- AND -
Vasquez/Gorman from Aliens: "You always were an asshole, Gorman." BOOOM!!!

The best ways for them to go out.

And, of course:

Hans Gruber from Die Hard: the 'fuck you' sneer which morphs into the 'fuck me' gawk as the clasp opens on Holly's watch. Beautiful shot, truly.
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post #47 of 94
8/14/07 at 2:04am
Janet Leigh, Psycho. This may not fit, cuz I'm still not sure that wasn't a still photo rotated, but if it wasn't, she held that pose with eye open for a good amount of time.

And for comedic sake:

Jimmy Durante, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World - If you've seen it, you know why it's memorable
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post #48 of 94
8/14/07 at 2:50am
Whatever bullshit Spacey gets himself into nowadays, he'll always have the death scene in LA Confidential. That's maybe the best scene in a perfect film.

Its not because of the acting, but I like Donovan's end in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

And for sheer cheese that I kinda love anyway, gotta go with Vosloo in The Mummy Returns. Hee-larious! Moving!
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post #49 of 94
8/14/07 at 3:39am
When Hook cries for his mommy before the crocodile falls on him, it was very believable. When it happened I was thinking "wow, he really does need a mommy." It was a moment that will stay with me for a long time. The burp that follows is a common ingredient in my nightmares. Good form, Spielberg. Good form.
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post #50 of 94
8/14/07 at 5:36am
And yet the acadamy gives Hoffman the oscar for Rain Man, not fuckin' Hook! Where is the goddamn accountability?
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