Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Lunch time fun: The "top 10 manly movie deaths"
For your lunch time consideration, the "top 10 manly movie deaths." May I respectfully suggest that any list that includes Optimus Prime from the original Transformers ought also to have included Mufasa from The Lion King. And how do you miss Russell Crowe's Maximus? Post your nominees in the comments.
CWCID: Conservative Grapevine, which always has lots of fun stuff.
14 Comments:
By 
, at
Wed Jul 01, 12:46:00 PM:
Rutger Hauer (or Roy Battie if you prefer the character) as the last surviving android in Blade Runner. He both spares his enemy Harrison Ford and dies undefeated by him.
By , at
Wed Jul 01, 01:01:00 PM:
C'mon....John Wayne's death in "The Shootist". Rather than succumb to a slow, painful death by cancer, he took out some nasty bad guys in a barroom shootout...while at the same time saving Ron Howard's soul.
By , at
Wed Jul 01, 01:59:00 PM:
I was JUST going comment that John Wayne in the Shootist is the best of all time! I agree with "Ananymous.
By , at
Wed Jul 01, 02:02:00 PM:
No way is that Top Ten list right. Missed two other good ones:
1) Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Butch: "I thought for a minute there, we were in trouble" as the two head out to face the bullets.
2) Billy the Indian Tracker on the Predator. He strips off is shirt and challenges the fearsome Predator to a knife fight, buying time with his death to aid his fellow commandos' escape.
By , at
Wed Jul 01, 02:07:00 PM:
The CPT in 'Saving Private Ryan'
John Wayne in the Cowboys
I sooooo disagree that Scarface died in a manly manner. He died as a majority of criminals do - either in jail or by their competitor's hand. No sacrifice for the benefit of others, just greed pure and simple. Heck, the Red Shirts on Star Trek died a more manly death.
By , at
Wed Jul 01, 02:10:00 PM:
Not a fan of the linked list, non-man deaths shouldn't count (T2 and Optimus Prime) and Bill from Kill Bill and Nick from Deerhunter were lame entries.
Anyway, I would say
- Clint in Gran Torino
- Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan
- Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen and C. Thomas Howell in Red Dawn
- Gene Hackman in The Poseidon Adventure
- The Corporal and the Hispanic woman in Aliens
- Boromir in Fellowship of the Ring
- Hector (Eric Bana) in Troy
By , at
Wed Jul 01, 02:15:00 PM:
Links's list:
Steve McQueen in The Sand Pebbles
Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino
Toshiro Mifune in Seven Samurai
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler
Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke
Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby
Paul Newman and Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy
William Holden in The Wild Bunch
Kirk Douglas in Spartacus
Josh Brolin in No Country for Old Men
Also like Ruger Hauer and Russel Crowe choices
By , at
Wed Jul 01, 03:34:00 PM:
Jim Brown in "The Dirty Dozen"
By 
Dawnfire82, at
Wed Jul 01, 03:45:00 PM:
Leonidas in 300. Deliberately spends his life to try to kill the enemy king in a heroic last stand against an invading army.
Katsumoto in The Last Samurai. Went into a hopeless battle with valor and clever tactics to defend his way of life.
Sugar Watkins in Starship Troopers. Fought to the last moment to allow his comrades to escape, then exploded himself with the enemy.
Russel Casse (the old drunken pilot) in Independence Day. Drove his aircraft into the alien spacecraft in order to destroy it and herald the global human counter-attack.
Harry Stamper in Armageddon. Dooms himself not only to save the world, but to save the life of his daughter's boyfriend even though he doesn't like him very much.
Darth Vader, Return of the Jedi. Renounces darkness and gives his life to strike down the Emperor and rescue his son.
By Miss T.C. Shore, at
Wed Jul 01, 04:07:00 PM:
Tom Hanks in "Saving Private Ryan".
The prison warden in "Shawshank Redemption".
Tom Hanks (again) in "Road to Perdition"
By Seamus MagRaith, at
Wed Jul 01, 04:11:00 PM:
Sergeant Elias (Willem Defoe) in Platoon
By , at
Wed Jul 01, 07:58:00 PM:
Murdering criminals cannot, by definition, die manly deaths. Theirs is the cold, empty tomb of wasted lives and hate filled fantasies of power over others. The lowliest private who dies of dysentery during training dies a much manlier death.
I like the lists of the Tigerhawk readers much better.
Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino is number one on my screen. John Wayne in "The Shootist" gets points for setting up the ending of Gran Torino. See it soon if you haven't. Forget all the crap out Walt being a racist and listen to the dialog.
However, my real interest is real the men and women who have died real manly deaths. For example, all of the crew members of the the destroyer escort Samuel B. Roberts who died on the "destroyer that fought like a battleship". They protected the invasion fleet with their lives against four battleships and seven cruisers of the IJN. Hollywood just can't compete with real life.
By , at
Thu Jul 02, 05:25:00 AM:
Sydney Carton in "A Tale Of Two Cities" "Tis a far far better thing I do now.." Possibly the Dirk Bogarde version.
Jimmy Cagney in "The Public Enemy" when he plays the coward on the way to his execution to put some young guys off his glamorous gangster image.
JC
By The Conservative Wahoo, at
Thu Jul 02, 08:52:00 AM:
