Film Deaths
Best Film Deaths Scenes

Part 3


Introduction: Deaths in film scenes can be either cool, teary, metaphoric, grisly, scary, bloody, amusing, violent, transcendental, unforgettable, spectacular, frightening, funny, or shocking. The victim's death may be well-deserved, accidental, expected, sudden, or intentional. Some effective death scenes even occur off-screen.

Other areas of this website have death scenes also. See Greatest Last Film Lines, some of which were uttered by a dying character, Greatest Melodramatic Films with many fine death scenes, or Greatest Film Scenes with some descriptions of death scenes included, or some of the Scariest Movie Moments and Scenes.

Total Film Magazine (in the UK), in their July 2004 issue, provided an article on the 50 Greatest Movie Deaths throughout cinematic history. Their results, based on a non-scientific poll taken from interviews with film critics, listed the 50 most highly-rated death scenes. Although there were some excellent and well-deserved choices in the Total Film list, there are many other great death scenes that were among the missing death scenes in Total Film's honored list of "cinema's best daisy-pushers" and "drop-dead moments". The Total Film selections are marked throughout the following compilation with this symbol and their ranking number.

Note: The films that are marked with a yellow star are the films that "The Greatest Films" site
has selected as the 100 Greatest Films.


Greatest Movie Death Scenes
(chronological by film title) - Part 3
Intro | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10
Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

Film Title Description Example

This Gun for Hire (1942)

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The climactic finale in which expressionless, baby-faced, cat-loving hired killer Philip Raven (Alan Ladd in his first major role) had acquired a written confession from the bad guys before their deaths (corrupt, double-crossing, peppermint candy-loving fat man Willard Gates (Laird Cregar) and wheelchair-bound Alvin Brewster (Tully Marshall) who were selling secrets about the chemical composition of poison gas to foreign agents (the Japanese)) - and then expired from gunshot wounds, after asking peek-a-boo blonde-haired femme fatale Ellen Graham (Veronica Lake): "Did I do alright for ya?"

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

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The death-bed scene of patriarch Jerry Cohan (Walter Huston)

The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)

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The hanging deaths of three innocent men (seen in shadows), with an additional bullet shot into each corpse to ensure their deaths

The Song of Bernadette (1943)

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The death of Bernadette Soubirous (Jennifer Jones) at the film's conclusion

Laura (1944)

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The climactic scene in which 'Laura Hunt' murderer Waldo Lydecker (Clifton Webb) was mortally wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the police after he attempted to kill the real Laura (Gene Tierney) with a shotgun in a passionate rage in an attempted murder/suicide- his last whispered words to Laura were: "Good-bye, Laura. Good-bye, my love."

Murder, My Sweet (1944)

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In the twist ending, Mrs. Helen Grayle/Velma's (Claire Trevor) death by a gunshot from her millionaire husband (Miles Mander); love-struck ex-con Moose Malloy (Mike Mazurki) reacted to her lifeless body on the sofa: ("She ain't hardly changed... just like always, only more fancy. Cute as lace pants...always...") before there were two more deaths (both Mr. Grayle and Moose shot and killed each other); detective Philip Marlowe (Dick Powell) was temporarily blinded by the first gunblast

Detour (1945)

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The accidental strangulation of despicable hitchhiker Vera (Ann Savage) by Al Roberts (Tom Neal) with a telephone cord

The Big Sleep (1946)

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The unusual death of gang boss/gambler Eddie Mars (John Ridgely) who was compelled by Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) to run outside Geiger's house into gunfire from his own gang members (who were expecting Marlowe to be fleeing after killing Mars) - Mars shouted: "Don't shoot! It's me, Mar---" - as bullets from Mars' henchmen meant for Marlowe hit him; a dotted-line of bullet holes in the door signaled his murder outside; then, a mortally-wounded Mars slowly re-entered the room and collapsed to the floor in the front hallway

Duel in the Sun (1946)

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The shoot-out to the death of doomed lovers Lewt McCanles (Gregory Peck) and half-breed Pearl Chavez (Jennifer Jones) who crawled to each other and died in each other's bloody arms

The Killers (1946)

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The execution (off-screen), by a pair of hitman (William Conrad, Charles McGraw), of the Swede/Pete Lunn (Burt Lancaster) who already has accepted his own sacrificial death and fate in his dark boarding house room, rationalizing: "I did something wrong - once"

Leave Her to Heaven (1946)

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An uncaring, sunglasses-wearing Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney) as she watched from a rowboat her young, crippled brother-in-law drown in a Maine lake, and Ellen's own suicidal death to 'frame' Ruth (Jeanne Crain)

My Darling Clementine (1946)

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In the climactic gunfight at the O.K. Corral recreation in this film, four of the Clanton sons were killed, but Doc Holliday (Victor Mature) was also killed when he suffered a coughing fit and was shot by one of the Clantons

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

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As the star-crossed lovers drove along the highway and neared their home, Frank (John Garfield) asked for a long-awaited kiss. Cora (Lana Turner) was painting her lips with lipstick: (Cora: "When we get home, Frank, then there'll be kisses, kisses with dreams in them. Kisses that come from life, not death." Frank: "I hope I don't wait." Cora: "Darling." (They kiss) "Look out, Frank!") Distracted during a 'kiss that comes from life' while he was driving, he ran off the road, killing Cora ('with a kiss that comes from death') in a fatal auto accident; the car door opened after the crash - Cora's lifeless arm fell off the seat, and a tube of lipstick slowly dropped to the floor of the car and onto the ground


The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)

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The shock ending with the suicidal death of Martha Ivers O'Neil (Barbara Stanwyck), when she pulled the trigger herself as her husband Walter (Kirk Douglas) held a gun to her stomach

Kiss of Death (1947)

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The notorious scene of psychopathic, wild-eyed, giggling killer Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark in his memorable screen debut) asking a crippled, wheelchair-bound woman (Mildred Dunnock) about her squealer son Rizzo - whom Tommy thought ratted him out: "I'm askin' you: where's that squealin' son of yours?" - and then his cruel response - tying her up in her wheelchair with an electrical cord, and then pushing her down a long flight of stairs to her death as she screamed - he giggled maniacally the whole time

The Lady From Shanghai (1948)

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The funhouse hall-of-mirrors shootout at the film's conclusion between Arthur Bannister (Everett Sloane) and blonde femme fatale wife Elsa (Rita Hayworth)

The Red Shoes (1948)

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The melodramatic tragic death scene when ballerina dancer Victoria (Vicky) Page (Moira Shearer) fell to her death just before an encore concert presentation of The Red Shoes ballet - the controlling red shoes willfilly took her to a balcony overlook and forcefully pulled her off (into the path of an oncoming train below), followed by a closeup of her bloody legs (and tights) and feet wearing the shoes; when she requested that Julian Craster (Marius Goring) remove her red ballet shoes, she died

All the King's Men (1949)

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In the final memorable scene set at the state capital building, Willie Stark (Broderick Crawford) has just finished beating an impeachment rap, and he emerged to deliver a boisterous victory speech to the crowd: "Your will is my strength, and your need is my justice, and I shall live in your right and your will. And if any man tries to stop me from fulfilling that right and that will, I'll break him. I'll break him with my bare hands, for I have the strength of many"; as he walked away, he was gunned down with two shots at close-range by an assassin - the embittered and vengeful young Dr. Adam Stanton (Shepperd Strudwick), the nephew of the judge (Raymond Greenleaf) whose career Willie had ruined; mortally wounded and dying on the steps, a dismayed Stark delivered his final words to newspaperman Jack Burden (John Ireland), Sugar Boy (Walter Burke), political aide Sadie Burke (Mercedes McCambridge), and city boss Tiny Duffy (Ralph Dumke) - in close-up: "Could have been whole world - Willie Stark. The whole world - Willie Stark. Why does he do it to me - Willie Stark? Why?"  

Colorado Territory (1949)

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The exciting last-stand deaths in rocky mountain outcroppings of wounded, sought-after outlaw Wes McQueen (Joel McCrea) and mixed-race, El Paso dance-hall partner Colorado Carson (Virginia Mayo) - she heroically stood next to him with guns ablazing toward the authorities but they were outnumbered and shot down; at the moment of their fateful deaths, they poignantly clasped their hands together

The Third Man (1949)

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Harry Lime's (Orson Welles) quivering fingers (actually the fingers of director Carol Reed) through a Viennese sewer grating as he died

White Heat (1949)
# 10

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The death of mother-fixated gangster Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett (James Cagney) before blowing himself up by pumping bullets into a giant, round, holding gas tank, as he screamed: "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!"

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

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The final scene of a bleeding and dying Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden) stumbling from his car into Hickory Wood Farm - a sunny, Kentucky horse pasture

D.O.A. (1950)

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Fatally poisoned accountant/notary public Frank Bigelow's (Edmond O'Brien) collapse at the end of the film after solving the case, and the exchange between the deputy and the homicide captain in the police station: ("How shall I make out the report on him, Captain?" "Better make it... 'dead on arrival.'")

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

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The opening scene's view was of a body floating face down in a pool - the corpse started to narrate the story ("Yes, this is Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. It's about five o'clock in the morning. That's the Homicide Squad - complete with detectives and newspapermen") and provided the reason why he was killed

Ace in the Hole (1951) (aka The Big Carnival)

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The final low-angled shot of bleeding, defeated journalist Charles "Chuck" Tatum (Kirk Douglas) collapsing at the feet of his newspaper editor Mr. Boot (Porter Hall): ("How'd you like to make yourself a thousand dollars a day, Mr. Boot? I'm a thousand-dollar-a-day newspaperman. You can have me for nothing")

A Place in the Sun (1951)

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The dramatic, mysterious drowning/murder? of George Eastman's (Montgomery Clift) pregnant girlfriend Alice Tripp (Shelley Winters) at Loon Lake

Strangers on a Train (1951)

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The view of Miriam's (Laura Elliot) strangulation murder scene reflected in her thick-lensed glasses that have fallen to the grass while in the distant background the merry-go-round ironically played "Strawberry Blonde"

The Marrying Kind (1952)

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The tragic family picnic scene in which Joey (Christopher Olsen), the six-year-old son of bickering couple Florrie (Judy Holliday) and Chet (Aldo Ray), accidentally drowned in a park pond while an oblivious Florence was singing "How I Love the Kisses of Dolores" on a ukelele to her husband

The Big Heat (1953)

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The car bombing (with a blinding explosion outside his house) that killed Police Sergeant Bannion's (Glenn Ford) wife Katie (Jocelyn Brando) instead of himself as he tended to his young daughter

Debby Marsh's (Gloria Grahame) moving death scene, after being shot twice in the back by gangster Vince Stone (Lee Marvin); her head was cradled in her mink coat by Det. Sgt. Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford) as they talked about his murdered wife Katie (Jocelyn Brando), with Debby's peacefully-spoken final words as she died: "I like her...I like her alot."


From Here to Eternity (1953)

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The unnecessary death of soldier Pvt. Robert E. Lee "Prew" Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) - shot by a nighttime patrol as he returns to the base following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941

Shane (1953)

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The scene of Frank Torrey's (Elisha Cook, Jr.) brutal death in a showdown with black-clothed evil gunman Jack Wilson (Jack Palance) as he was hurtled backwards onto a muddy street, and the fatal shoot-out between Shane (Alan Ladd) and Wilson, leading to Shane's wounding and the final ambiguous shot of the title character slumped on his saddle as he rode off on his horse toward the mountains - to die?

Dial M For Murder (1954)

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The exciting and tense scene of wealthy Margot Wendice (Grace Kelly) - while being strangled - reaching backwards to search for a weapon (a pair of scissors) to defend herself and kill hired assassin Captain Lesgate (Anthony Dawson) by stabbing him in the back

A Star is Born (1954)

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Norman Maine's (James Mason) off-screen suicidal death by walking into the ocean


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