Apr 29, 2008,
Michelle Sanders
Editor's Note: In honor Grand Theft Auto IV being released today we present to you the Best Modern Movie Deaths. Enjoy!
How do you fake a death -- I mean really fake a death? The success of a good on-screen demise hinges on so many variables (some of which I could describe, and some I probably could not, considering my minimal filmmaking skills). Sometimes a moviegoer wants blood and guts (like Fargo; definitely not the worst of the worst, but still) ... or maybe it's tragic death (Moulin Rouge) you're looking for. Take the kind of death desired, then factor in lighting, sound effects, setting, and actor/actress, and you have a puzzle in dire need of being pieced together. Well, I've selected five superb deaths that fit into five diverse categories for your reading pleasure. These can probably be switched and swapped around depending on your perspective; feel free to comment. (The most memorable movie deaths often involve important characters and dramatic plot twists -- so beware of spoilers if you haven't seen any of these films yet!)
Creative Death:
Big Fish. After an hour and some of fantastical Tim Burton film footage, Bloom (Billy Crudup) comes home to find his father, our protagonist, Edward Bloom (played as a young man by Ewan McGregor, and at the end of the story by Albert Finney) has suffered a stroke. It is here that Will is finally able to share his own story with his father, as his father always used to do with him. This moment inspires a long-awaited understanding between father and son. Quickly they leave the hospital and head for the river, where all of the peculiar characters of Edward's life show up to greet him on his final journey. This magical death scene is my creative category choice; it is both peaceful and memorable to watch Edward Bloom becoming a big fish when he dies. There is a true quality about this magical story, which is why I place a spotlight on this particular scene. No one can turn a stroke victim into a fish like Tim Burton.
Sudden Death:
Sweeney Todd. A quick slice and a sudden drop -- that best describes the victims of Mr. Todd. One minute you're going in for the closest shave in town, the next you're headed for a multi-story drop on cement. I've selected the death of Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) as the trophy winner for my favorite sudden death movie moment. After many close encounters, Mr. Todd has his revenge. It is Tim Burton-bloody and oh-so satisfying (in a fake, movie-watching kind of way). Slice, slice, and down he goes.
Tragic Death:
Atonement. This film portrays a pair of perhaps the most heartbreaking deaths to be seen on-screen. If you have seen this film, you know the story of the tragic separation of Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightly) and Robbie Turner (James McAvoy), two lovers led by a twist of unfair lies and misunderstandings to a separation that ended in death. The story told by Cecilia's younger sister Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai, and Vanessa Redgrave) includes a happy ending for Cecilia and Robbie, but then we discover that we have just watched an autobiography with a false ending. Instead of finding Cecilia once again, Robbie died during the last night of the evacuation at Dunkirk in 1940, and Cecilia was drowned in the Balham tube station disaster in the same year. They never saw each other again. This film builds us up for a happy ending and tears it away from us just like that -- incredibly tragic, and beautifully crafted.
Bad-Ass Death:
The Departed. Hands-down awesome. Martin Scorsese gets unexpected crime-thriller deaths just right in this one. The best of the best takes place right at the end of this film. Undercover agent Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) attempts to arrest Colin Sullivan the informant (played by Matt Damon), and almost immediately Billy is shot in the head. With the suspense brewing throughout the entire film, the attempted arrest followed quickly by the devastating blow of Billy's death is at first shocking and really perplexing. The film only continues to twist and turn until we land at Colin the informant's house, where Mark Walberg's character, another undercover agent, swiftly enters and shoots Colin. These are great scenes!!
Wild Card Death:
No Country For Old Men. It's too hard to leave this one off the list. Honestly, who has ever killed with an air-gun? Javier Bardem embodied Anton Chigurh so incredibly well, I'm afraid of him. Going door to door blowing out locks, walking up to innocent strangers and asking them to step a bit closer to him so he can put that air-gun to the heads? Sick! Later in the film we learn that the air shoots out a four inch probe with such force that it instantly penetrates the victim. I don't mean to be morbid, but that is new territory for movie deaths and that makes it crazy cool. I've picked this for the wildcard section because there isn't one particular death to feature from this film. It's simply the knowledge of what he is doing in the story that is insane and worthy of my list.
