Yes, I agree on American History X. The fact that the camera turned away and didn’t show the actual (unspeakable act) didn’t actually lessen the effect.
The same goes for one of the most gruesome murder scenes, but, ironically, also one of the most beautifully photographed ones, and that is the infamous “bullet-through-the-keyhole” scene in Dario Argento’s Opera.
One of my favorite movies (Yes… I know this says something about me) and also the source of the sound clip that starts up my computer…
“I have so much power to give you… All you have to do… Is beg…”
I haven’t seen Pulp Fiction in years. Overall I love the movie and can stomach the violence, but IIRC there is a scene where John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson go to an apartment to find some low-lifes. The tension mounts, and then SLJ starts shouting scripture, then lots of gunfire. That, to me, is tension and violence all rolled up into one scene. I can’t really complain about the scene where they’re driving in the car and they hit a bump, and JT accidentally blows away the guy in the back seat - I remember laughing out loud, maybe out of sheer nervousness, in the theater.
Not to argue with the others, but some of the fight scenes in Raging Bull were very well done, and extremely brutal.
Speak for yourself - I find the scene where Ving Rhames is being raped up the ass far more violent.
Originally posted by DRNick
I was about to post the same thing. The scene in Gangster No.1 was incredible. On the one hand i was disgusted, and on the other hand i was fascinated and couldn’t look away. My GF at the time had to leave the room.
For those who haven’t seen it, it’s mostly shot from the victims POV, complete with occasional blackouts. I’m normally very squeemish, but that movie was just WOW.
I didn’t find Sexy Beast to be that violent.
And ring up another vote for American History X. I think it’s so powerful in that movie because of the quality of the film as a whole. If it was in a B movie that scene would be “Meh” but the movie brings in so much emotion that it heightens the “OH MY GOD!” factor.
Have you seen the “uncensored” version of RoboCop, with 30 seconds of gratuitous violence added back in?
The scene with the malfunctioning Ed 209 blasting hell out of that Junior Executive near the beginning makes Murphy’s murder look pretty tame in comparison.
The scene I remember from The Krays was the charming incident with the sword.
Ben Kingsley was so creepy in Sexy Beast that I wished that he would do something violent to release the tension I felt.
As I said, I haven’t watched the movie again. I saw it in the theater when it came out, that was it.
Any fight scene from Gangs of New York. It won’t spoil anything if I say this, cuz it’s already in the previews…
Seeing men fight with knives, and shudder meat cleavers is chilling. Guns, pistols, even swords in fighting give you a bit of distance, both physical and emotional, from what is happening in the scene. But cutting people with the same thing you use to slice meat? Brrrrr.
I’d have to say the gang rape scene in Bad Lieutenant involving the nun.
This is bad, because I can’t remember if it was in a Die Hard movie or a Lethal Weapon movie - but, either Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson grabs a bad guy and slams his head in a car door. I was SO not ready for that. I don’t watch movies that I know are going to be really gory or gross, but you figure you’re safe with something that’s basically franchise action/comedy.
Wow, finally someone cited this scene. It was pretty damned disturbing, and i think it’s my choice for number 1.
The curbing in American History X was brutal; the sound made my whole head hurt.
And, with respect to the issue of teeth, i don’t think anyone has yet mentioned the dentist scene in Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman. I thought that was pretty frightening.
It’s really the personal, one-on-one type of violence and gore that i find most disturbing. For me, scenes like the opening of Saving Private Ryan are more about sensory overload than anything else, and Starship Troopers was downright funny.
LifeOnWry: That was Lethal Weapon 2, IIRC. Right after Mel gets chucked in the drink in a straight jacket, and discovers his new lady’s body under the pier.
Understandable reaction, I thought.
[sub]Although I’m sure that wasn’t the only instance of such in an action-type flick.[/sub]
I saw this film when I was about 15 years old (at a David Bowie concert, of all places). Shocked the crap outta me. One of the characters kept looking at his hand - had a hole in the center of it with ants crawling in and out. Bizarre.
No one has mentioned the rape/murder scene from Boys Don’t Cry. That was just sad and wrong…
I nominate Guinea Pig: Flower of Flesh and Blood because someone really got killed in it!
Is this a whoosh? Or do you just not read your own links?
The snopes link says:
And the comments on the IMDB site you linked to say:
You know, there was no point giving the Snopes link - every user comment on the site says that it’s fake.
Emanuelle In America…lots of stomach-turning snuff movie footage.
Forget **8mm.**This one has women being gang raped, whipped, beaten with fists, having their nipples sliced off, hung up with meathooks through their vaginas, being forced to drink boiling oil, shot through the head, etc. etc. etc.
Second for second the grossest shit I’ve ever seen in my life, and that’s saying something. A cut version without this snuff footage plays on cable a lot, but the fully uncut version is supposedly hitting U.S. DVD sometime this year, though I really don’t recommend it to anyone.
Battle Royal is one of the more disturbing films out there. Its Japanese by a acclamed director (can’t remember his name, but he just recently passed away). The thing about the movie is the majority of the violence is done by 9th graders who must kill each other off as part of a “game”. While the vioence in the move at times is graphic and at others implied the situation of the movie lends a lot to the mood and feel.