Greatest movie gunfights of all time.

Rosestar

Rosestar

Well-known member
Help me out here. I want to study great movie gunfights, for blocking, compostition and editing technique. I was making a list and am having a brain fart... What do you think are the greatest movie gunfights of all time?

I got, so far:

1- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid-ending.
2- The Matrix- Morpheus rescue.
3- Open Range- town shoot-out.
4- L.A. Confidential- motel shoot-out.

Then brain fart set in... What do you think?
 
hmmmmmmmmmm, this should be easier, but right now all that comes to mind are the Matrix and LA Confidential which u've already mentioned. (awesome that u consider LACon one of ur favorite shootouts, mine too!)

i'll try to think up more...
 
Yeah I like "Die Hard", especially the shoot out where the glass gets blown out and he has to run through it.
Just came up with another one "Terminator"- the police station.
 
Definitely "Heat." When they start blasting in the middle of city streets it really effects you.

Of course "Saving Private Ryan" has one of the best gun/battle scenes of all time.

Also, Se7en has a good gun/chase scene. It's when Pitt and Freeman are visiting Kevin Spacey's home for the first time and an "unidentified" man is walking down the hallway with some groceries. Within a split second he pulls a gun and fires. It's so shocking I almost ducked behind the theater seats and told my girlfriend to "GET DOWN!!!"

I'm sure there's more, but can't think right now.
 
Wow, all good examples. I hate to admit it, but I haven't seen a lot of John Woo's stuff. What else is recommended?

Also, anyone else with great gunfights?
 
Well, there's always the multiple shootout scenes during the "Hillbilly Honeymoon" episode in The Monkees second season.

Okay...maybe not...

Dan
 
Er...guys... you are forgetting the best film of all time, Commando ... or is that taken as read.

I love Arnie.
 
okay...seriously then:

Collateral, in the nightclub.... my all time fave
Saving Private Ryan... obviously
Devil's Own... at the start
Patriot Games... I like the bit where Jack saves the royals
Where Eagles Dare... Eastwood just mowing down Nazis... bit dated, but classic
Ronin... for fights and car chases
Last Man Standing... I know that has been mentioned already
Leon... the final stand-off

...there are so many... is there a particular style you like?? I like "real feel."
 
mmm,

That Patriot Games sequence did rock - very realistic and manic like the street scenes in Heat. Another great PG scene is when his wife and daughter are run off the freeway into the water barrier. This sequence rocks because it is so short. She's run off the road and crashes violently - done!

I'm going to reiterate the Hard Boiled suggestion as it is worth a rental for the choreography alone. The gun battles in this one picture are behind every subsequent Rodriguez and Tarantino homage piece and must be seen and reseen to be fully appreciated.

If you've only seen John Woo in English, then you haven't been properly exposed to John Woo.

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Greatest movie gunfights

Wait a second here. Are we talking a gun fight or war battles? You can't throw in Saving Private Ryan into this list; just like you can't throw in Platoon or Black Hawk Down; save these for Best War Film or Best War Battle

A few that come to mind for me are (yes, a few have been mentioned already)

Tombstone

The build-up alone is what makes this work; With Ike Clanton washing his face and looking up to Kilmer winking at Thomas Hayden Church. My favorite part of the film and it should be.

HEAT

Yeah; I remember the first time Kilmer opens up with the machine gun I was like; WTF? Totaly unexpected. Great shootout.

EXTREME PREJUDICE

80's flick. Nolte, Powers Booth, Michael Ironside and directed by Walter Hill. The last sene in the film (THE climax and shootout) is a jaw-drooper. I love this film. It even has Maria Conchita Alonso. If you havent seen this; run out and get the DVD. Good stuff.

OPEN RANGE

Everything I heard about this was true. But; they spent far too much damn time leading up to this climatic show-down and far too much time on Costner and Duvall. THis fim begged for at least one more action sequence; still when Costner first shooots the one dude; epic scene.

TRUE ROMANCE

The end of course. I love a Mexican Standoff especially when it goes to hell. Everyone has guns drawn and everyone gets blown away. Awesome.
 
Did anyone talk about that first scene in The Matrix with Neo and Trinity in the lobby? That one is good. Yeah.

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