# Best death scene in a movie (General spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 18, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232 "2006-05-18T05:14:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/1 "2006-05-18T05:14:34Z")
What, in your opinion, is the best death scene (or, really reaction to a death) that you’ve seen in a movie? For me it would have to be SLC Punk (Starring a pre-Scooby Matthew Lillard). Steveo, a hard as nails anarchist punk awakes at the end to find his best friend and roomate dead from an overdose of percocet. He transforms to a slobbery mess almost instantaneously as his whole world pretty much crumbles around him. I remember listening to the commentary once, the director said they pretty much locked Lillard and Goorjian in a room with the cameras, and left them there for 30 minutes while Lillard just bawled. Re-watching it today, I realized that it’s probabaly one of the most realistic portrayals of a reaction to death I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/2 "2006-05-18T08:12:54Z")
It’s subtle, but the mother’s reaction to her son’s death in Donnie Darko, where she is leaning against a tree smoking, was quite impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@Scoundrel\_Swanswater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoundrel_Swanswater)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/3 "2006-05-18T08:57:33Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > It’s subtle, but the mother’s reaction to her son’s death in Donnie Darko, where she is leaning against a tree smoking, was quite impressive. I love that scene, and the little moment the mum shares with the new girl. It is so beautifully underplayed. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/4 "2006-05-18T09:48:03Z")
Not too many people will have seen this one, but here goes. I once watched a BBC(I think) mini-series on the life of Edward VII. His mom was Queen Victoria. The scene showing the passing of Albert, her husband, is remarkable for the performance of the actress playing the Queen. She’s a cool, reserved, introverted woman. As she realizes her husband is dead a look of horror, mixed with unbelief and denial, passes over her face. Then all her reserve breaks and she starts loudly wailing, crying her heart out. A lesser performer would make that look ridiculous, as it was you might say I was feeling her pain. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/5 "2006-05-18T11:04:17Z")
Have to be either Boromir’s death in Fellowship of the Ring or Spock’s death in Star Trek II. ---
**Author:** ![grossmrkup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@grossmrkup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grossmrkup)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/6 "2006-05-18T11:08:30Z")
> [@RikWriter](#): > > Have to be either Boromir’s death in Fellowship of the Ring or Spock’s death in Star Trek II. Boromir’s death was what I was going to as well. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/7 "2006-05-18T11:22:41Z")
Arthur’s death in _Excaliber_ is very moving. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/8 "2006-05-18T12:07:28Z")
_The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly_ when Clint takes his cigarette (cigarillo?) out of his mouth, lets the dying guy smoke it, then puts it back in his mouth. The kid’s last breath is an exhalation of the smoke. (if I’m messing up my spaghettis, it’s only cause I haven’t seen them for a while, but I’m 90% sure it was _TG, TB & TU_) ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/9 "2006-05-18T12:15:51Z")
I think this topic was done a while back, I’ll nominate Kevin Spacey in _LA Confidential_ dying from a gunshot again. As the poster in the last thread said, you could just see the life draining out of his eyes. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/10 "2006-05-18T12:43:42Z")
“Made it Ma. Top of the World!” End of discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/11 "2006-05-18T12:48:50Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > I think this topic was done a while back, I’ll nominate Kevin Spacey in _LA Confidential_ dying from a gunshot again. As the poster in the last thread said, you could just see the life draining out of his eyes. There’s no other scene like this one. Spacey wins the prize. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/12 "2006-05-18T12:51:09Z")
Mercutio’s death in _R+J_ - the Luhrman version. I think of that scene everytime the actor is being a goofball on _Lost_, and wonder if he shouldn’t have stuck to Shakespear. On the small screne, it’s got to be Joyce’s death on Buffy, episode “The Body”. We don’t see the death itself, but the aftermath. It’s the most realistic reaction to death I’ve ever seen - the relentless march of time when you’re just wishing everything would stop for a minute and let you figure things out. Life goes on, even when you wish it wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![MrFantsyPants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@MrFantsyPants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFantsyPants)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/13 "2006-05-18T13:07:45Z")
My vote goes to the death of Paul Reuben’s character on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer (the movie) ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/14 "2006-05-18T13:15:02Z")
Lorne Greene in Battlestar Galactica Best … death … ever 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/15 "2006-05-18T13:20:02Z")
The American soldier stabbed to death by the big German soldier in a bombed-out upstairs room in _Saving Private Ryan_. The German soldier soothingly talks to him as he jabs him deeper and deeper. Chilling. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/16 "2006-05-18T13:22:19Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Mercutio’s death in _R+J_ - the Luhrman version. I think of that scene everytime the actor is being a goofball on _Lost_, and wonder if he shouldn’t have stuck to Shakespear. > > On the small screne, it’s got to be Joyce’s death on Buffy, episode “The Body”. We don’t see the death itself, but the aftermath. It’s the most realistic reaction to death I’ve ever seen - the relentless march of time when you’re just wishing everything would stop for a minute and let you figure things out. Life goes on, even when you wish it wouldn’t. I agree wholeheartedly about “The Body” . No cheesy last words, no theatrics. Just the heartbreaking scene when the death is discovered and the very real portrayal of the survivors’ responses. I own the dvd collection and I can’t bring myself to watch that episode again. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/17 "2006-05-18T13:25:03Z")
Jimmy Durante in _It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World_. ---
**Author:** ![Ludy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Ludy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/18 "2006-05-18T13:26:27Z")
> [@MrFantsyPants](#): > > My vote goes to the death of Paul Reuben’s character on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer (the movie) Ah my personal favorite. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Grossbottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba8739/32.png) [@Grossbottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grossbottom)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/19 "2006-05-18T13:32:24Z")
Paul Newman in _Road to Perdition_. That scene hypnotizes me, everytime. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232/20 "2006-05-18T13:45:30Z")
I’ve got two that aren’t actually deaths, but I’m tossin’ them out: Marlon Brando’s talk with his dead wife in \*\*“Last Tango in Paris”. \*\* It was heartwrenching. Ed Harris and Mary Elisabeth Mastroantonio (sp?) in **“The Abyss”** when she drowns but they bring her back to life. Jesus! That one just about killed me! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-death-scene-in-a-movie-general-spoilers/357232.md?page=2)