To celebrate the release of LAWLESS, we here at The Hollywood News decided to throw some darts at the wall and pick out ten memorable scenes of gangster death and violence.
Enjoy. If you can.
10. “Got a light?” – PAYBACK (1999)
Before (or quite possibly during) Mel Gibson’s decent into madness, he made a flawed, yet very interesting film called PAYBACK. It was another variation on the book ‘The Hunter’ which had been made twice before (POINT BLANK and FULL CONTACT). PAYBACK was one of those “problem films” you hear about and required many re-shoots. However, the end product is a pretty satisfying watch and actually better than the “director’s cut”. This scene really underlines just how anti a hero Gibson’s “Porter” really is.
9. Teamwork – THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987)
Come and work for Al Capone.The pay is good, the living is good. However if you lose a shipment of alcohol to Elliot Ness, Al bashes your head in with a baseball bat. I hear they do the same at Google if you make a shit doodle.
8. Chainsaw – SCARFACE (1983)
You know you’ve been screwed on a drug deal when you end up in the shower with a guy wielding a chainsaw. Either that or you’ve taken a wrong turn in the West Country. A potent and powerful scene that DePalma directs beautifully.
7. The Death of Sonny Red – DONNIE BRASCO (1997)
The gangster equivalent of ‘N TV” from Noel’s House Party. Except rather than being made to look slightly silly on TV, you are shot to death in the dark. It won’t be too long before this show is on Sky Living. Only irony will be the winner.
6. Danny Boy – MILLER’S CROSSING (1990)
If you ever want to play “knock down ginger” with Leo O’Bannon, don’t. He is a sly one and knows ways to shoot you to death from various angles. A scene of murder and violence made to seem like poetry in motion by the beautiful musical accompaniment.
5. Tired of Getting Ripped Off – KING OF NEW YORK (1990)
If TRUE ROMANCE and KING OF NEW YORK have taught me anything it’s that you don’t talk back to Christopher Walken when he has a gun. It’s like smart mouthing a lion in a small cage while covered in honey sauce. Stupid.
4. Officer Down – THE DEPARTED (2006)
Martin Sheen has displayed his versatility on many occasions during his career. Surely his finest moment comes in this scene from THE DEPARTED when he attempts to fly. Sadly he hovers in the air in exactly the way bricks do and splats down onto the pavement in a mildly hilarious fashion.
3. Michael Corleone Kills Sollozo – THE GODFATHER (1972)
The scene that kept Al Pacino in a job. Possibly the most tense scene since John Cleese got on the wrong train in CLOCKWISE, and I am not understating this. The true definition of a character defining moment as Michael’s evil butterfly bursts out of his mild mannered cocoon.
2. “He’d rather whack ’em” – GOODFELLAS
The best combination of scenes of dead looking people on screen while music plays out since the recent Justin Bieber film. No one handles a montage like Scorcese. The music choice (as ever) is sublime and the images that greet you feel incredibly real, as if you have come across real crime scene footage. As memorable as they are harrowing.
1. The Death of Nicky Santoro – CASINO
Nicky Santoro is possibly one of the most evil and hideous characters to grace modern cinema since Tommy in GOODFELLAS. When Nicky is whacked it is almost satisfying and made even more memorable by Nicky’s monologue also getting beaten up. Must have been a duel attack, one in the field and one in the sound booth. Take that you evil be-wigged dwarf.
