# Movies in which the brutal, onscreen death of the villain is roundly celebrated \[spoilers\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418 "2012-12-18T13:00:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/41 "2012-12-18T19:01:27Z")
You’ve got to take a look at the historical aspect too though. The beginning of the movie is in 1941 - early in the war, and Landa had no reason to believe that Germany wouldn’t win - they had already taken France, were marching on Moscow, etc. But by the end of the movie, D-Day has happened, and Allied armies are retaking Europe. Landa doesn’t have any particular dedication to the Nazi cause - he knows they’re going to lose soon, and he’s willing to cut whatever deal he can to make it easy on himself. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/42 "2012-12-18T19:02:48Z")
Most recently, I remember most of the theater cheered at the demise of Bellatrix Lestrange. ---
**Author:** ![Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c68b51/32.png) [@Ashley\_Pomeroy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashley_Pomeroy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/43 "2012-12-18T19:08:25Z")
> [@Oedipus](#): > > their brutal death is met with excitement Not so much his _death_ - which is quick - but Andrew Robinson’s memorably nasty Scorpio in _Dirty Harry_ is shot in the leg and tortured by Harry, and I imagine that audiences at the time wanted Harry to torture him harder. To egg him on and really beat the crap out of him. Albeit that ultimately it doesn’t work; from what I remember they’re too late to do any good, and it’s counterproductive because Scorpio gets let off. There’s a similar scene in _The Dark Knight_, where Batman comes close to killing one of the Joker’s goons - until it turns out that the man is mentally ill, incapable of answering. Again, I surmise that the audience would have been willing Batman on; and of course there’s the sequence where Batman assaults the Joker himself in a police cell. Off the top of my head _Cobra_ ends with the villain being beaten and then set on fire - while celebrating his birthday! - and we’re supposed to take great pleasure from this. _Mad Max_ ends with the villain dying _offscreen_ although it’s a pretty sadistic and cold-blooded murder. Unlike the aforementioned it’s not really presented as a feelgood triumph, either. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/44 "2012-12-18T20:24:30Z")
“GET OFF MY PLANE!” from **Air Force One**. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/45 "2012-12-18T20:36:56Z")
The helicopter falling on John Lithgow in **Cliffhanger**. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/46 "2012-12-18T20:48:50Z")
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? – dissolved by inches Jurassic Park – (velociraptors) crunched & thrown by T-Rex (who survives, raar) Hellboy 2 – bad guy gets eaten by a mechanical shredder in the Troll market ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/47 "2012-12-18T22:08:00Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > I don’t remember the lawyer as villainous, but it’s been years since I saw the movie. > [@Infovore](#): > > This is the one I came in to mention. Gennaro (that was the lawyer’s name) wasn’t villainous _per se_. He wasn’t evil, just kind of smarmy, but his cowardly act of deserting the two kids in the Jeep to run and hide in the bathroom earned him the cheer when the T-Rex plucked him off the toilet and ripped him to pieces (though that part wasn’t seen, just implied (“I think this was Gennaro.” “I think this was, too.”) He’s not a classic villain, but he is a lawyer. He and Nedry were there to take the onus off of John Hammond (Attenborough) who was the real villaiin of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/48 "2012-12-18T22:29:35Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > He’s not a classic villain, but he is a lawyer. He and Nedry were there to take the onus off of John Hammond (Attenborough) who was the real villaiin of the story. Nedry behaves pretty much the same in both book and movie. Movie-Gennaro is a composite of book-Gennaro and Ed Regis–the latter absent from the film and dino-chow in the book. And I’m not sure how much he takes the burden of guilt off Hammond, who is less malicious than foolishly arrogant anyway. But then, with the possible exception of the engineer whose name I just forgot – Mr. Arnold – everyone directly involved with the planning of the park was guilty of hubris. That wouldn’t include Gennaro, who knew little more of Hammond’s plans than the paleontologists did. Gennaro’s sin was cowardice, not arrogance; his mistake was not listening to Alan Grant. But his panic was understandable too. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/49 "2012-12-18T22:34:53Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > … everyone directly involved with the planning of the park was guilty of hubris… and, by the end of the book, dead, as opposed to the relatively happy ending in the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2012, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/50 "2012-12-19T01:25:28Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > Most recently, I remember most of the theater cheered at the demise of Bellatrix Lestrange. That’s what I came in here to post. The audience went ape-shit, even though I’m sure half of them knew it was coming. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/51 "2012-12-20T21:10:27Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > and, by the end of the book, dead, as opposed to the relatively happy ending in the movie. My overall point was that Gennaro was not directly involved in the planning, design, or maintenance of the park. He was as surprised as Grant, Satler, & Malcolm to see the actual dinosaurs there. Grant & Satler were probably more indirectly involved in the park’s planning than Gennaro was; both contributed information when asked, though they didn’t know what that information was for. I’m not sure of Malcolm’s pre-visit knowledge, though he certainly believed almost from the beginning of his time there that the enterprise was inherently unworkable. And as I think on it, what Gennaro did know had him dismayed. Hammond remarks that he brought Grant, Satler,& Malcolm to the park to help him win the dispute with the bloodthirsty lawyer, and thus was surprised when all three scientists were against what he was doing when they saw the scale. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/52 "2012-12-21T20:27:47Z")
I haven’t seen the remake, but the Bronson version of _The Mechanic_ ends with a bang. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/53 "2012-12-21T23:06:51Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > One could point to any number of the Bond films, but the most graphic ones that come to mind include Yaphet Kotto in _Live and Let Die_ (er, inflated to death) and various villains in _Goldeneye_ (caught in a tree while suspended from a crashing helicopter; falling from a great height, then impaled by a huge chunk of satellite dish; frozen by liquid nitrogen, then shattered into a million pieces). Don’t forget Auric Goldfinger getting sucked out the window of a Lear Jet! And everyone cheers when the Wicked Witch of the West gets melted. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/54 "2012-12-21T23:19:45Z")
In the 1980 film _Flash Gordon_ the evil emperor Ming the Merciless is speared in the back by the needlenose of a spaceship being flown by the hero Flash. It goes right through his chest, and we get to see that the emperor is, quite literally, blue-blooded. I saw it in the theater back then and there was a cheer from the audience. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/55 "2012-12-21T23:23:32Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > There’s that one thug in _Robocop_ who gets coated in toxic waste, wanders around slowly disintegrating for a few minutes before being splattered all over the hood of a car. At the end of that film. big boss:“You’re fired!” robocop: “Thank you” shoots bad guy. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/56 "2012-12-22T06:18:02Z")
There’s a little known women in prison flick starring Erik Estrada where the bad guys totally get their comeuppance, called “Caged Fury” where a considerable portion of the end of the film is devoted to the hero rampaging through a bogus prison for women (it’s actually a white slave training facility) beating the hell out of every last guard in the place. As the guards have been beating, bullying, raping and sometimes killing the women kept there, it’s very pleasurable to watch. The guards rarely last long against the hero, who’s a gorilla-like martial arts expert (played by Richie Barathy), but there are a LOT of them and it’s great fun to see them punched, kicked, thrown, and on several occasions, kicked right through walls by the hero. In fact, this lengthy rampage is the most memorable thing about Caged Fury, which is an otherwise forgettable exploitation women in prison flick. Well, there is the scene where Barathy and Erik Estrada rescue two babes from a biker gang in a parking lot by beating up the entire gang, THEN drag a couple of the bikers into the bar so they can have an excuse to beat up the rest of the gang. Perfect MST3K fodder really. But definitely an example of the bad guys getting theirs while the audience cheers. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/57 "2012-12-23T04:53:34Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > There’s that one thug in _Robocop_ who gets coated in toxic waste, wanders around slowly disintegrating for a few minutes before being splattered all over the hood of a car. Or the rapist that gets shot in the nuts. That got some cheers from the audience when I saw it in the theater. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/58 "2012-12-23T17:09:07Z")
In _the Bounty Hunter_ when Rutger Hauer took the pin out of the grenade in Gene Simmons’s mouth, and walked away, saying “Screw the bonus.” Quite a few cheers on the mess deck. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/59 "2012-12-23T21:15:46Z")
Dredd The main villain(Mama) gets pushed off the top of a very high building and then falls in slo-mo. The camera is situated under the ground, so we see her face smush into a bloody goo. Let’s just say she deserved it. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418/60 "2012-12-23T22:22:06Z")
The audience I saw The Godfather III with roundly celebrated when Sofia Coppola’s character snuffed it. She might not have been the villain in the story, but she sure was the villain to the audience. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/movies-in-which-the-brutal-onscreen-death-of-the-villain-is-roundly-celebrated-spoilers/644418.md?page=4)