I swear i'll be writing more in 2014

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

The Most Unnecessary Tragic Deaths in Film

From the time I was a fetus, something I've contemplated is why certain people die in movies. Now, I know it's done to advance the plot, or to develop sorrow for the protagonist, but sometimes it's unnecessary. An example is when they kill Morgan Freeman off in Unforgiven. If they killed the kid instead, and had Morgan and Clint shooting down Gene Hackman and his cowboys, wouldn't that have been so much better? Sure, I doubt it would've won an Oscar, but it'd be less troublesome, and more enjoyable down the road. Clint has a way of doing this though, because seriously Mirrion Dahra Baby would have been an instant classic if it turned out to be a feel good story, instead, you're just sitting there depressed over a cheap shot that ended someone's life. Booooo. I love that movie, that is, until the cheap shot. That's the perfect example of a movie you can only watch once, which is more booooooo.

Back to Mr. Freeman. I can't say I've seen all his movies, but in the ones I have seen, he's always a great character that makes the movie better, so killing him off is generally a stupid idea. Imagine if the Warden hung him in Shawshank to prove a point to Andy? People would shit. That's a movie many consider to be one of the best ever, and if you kill Red, well, no one would watch that movie more than once. Even killing off Andy would have been better than killing Red in it. Morgan Freeman avoids the comet in Deep Impact, he isn't killed by sins or Kevin Spacey in Se7en, and because of his Alec Guiness calm and coolness, he survives pretty much everything you throw at him, and the viewer loves this. Killing Morgan Freeman in a movie is bad for a director's health.

Anyways, the Top 15 People Who Should Have Never Died In Movies

15. Million Dollar Baby Chick

I won't go over this again, but it would have been one of those movies you watch every time it's on, IF she doesn’t take that cheap shot. The mercy killing is acceptable though.

14. Robert DeNiro in Heat

Even though I often root for the bad guys in films, especially when DeNiro is said bad guy, I understand it's usually not going to happen. What makes this one so insulting on the viewer is that you have to witness DeNiro being killed by Al Pacino, which is just awful. Heat would have been a million times better if DeNiro had gotten away at the end.

13. Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York

Same scenario here, even more unfathomable. This movie would have been 100% greater if Daniel Day Lewis got the better of Leonardo DiCaprio in the end. No one wants to see Leonardo DiCaprio slice one of cinema's greatest villains of all-time to his death.

12. Freddie Four Fingers in Snatch

I was so disappointed when Benicio Del Toro got whacked (and quite unceremoniously) in this. Fortunately, everyone else in this is great, so the loss is kind of offset, but I was hoping he'd be there until the end. I always hate it when really good actors have tiny parts in movies.

11. Bubba from Forrest Gump

Maybe he had to die, or the movie wouldn't have worked, but still, a scenario with him and Forrest in the shrimpin' business after Vietnam would've been kind of fun. Still, it's hard to argue with a perfect movie.

10. Ned Logan in Unforgiven

You just don't kill Morgan Freeman.

9. Donnie in The Big Lebowski

I hated to see him go, though I understand there's a new Lebowski on the way.

8. Ewok #6 in Return of the Jedi

A pretty traumatic experience as a youth was getting a taste of death when that Ewok died in Jedi. There's a huge war between the rebels and the Empire, with Ewoks caught in the middle, and only one dies. One was enough though. Especially when his Ewok friend tries to wake him up, and he doesn't. I may start crying right now.

7. Wilson in Castaway

If I can count Ewoks as people, I may as well be able to count non-talking volleyballs. It's a testament to how great this movie is that the scene where Wilson floats away touches your heart.

6. Bambi's Mom in Bambi

Speaking of traumatic childhood experiences, many children are taken by their parents to their first movie and it's often a Disney movie. You go to the theatre and see all these nice woodland creatures galloping about the forest than WHACK, Bambi's mom is dead. It's so horrifying. I lose sleep over this still today.

5. Radio Raheem in Do the Right Thing

Sure, the movie wouldn't have been as powerful without his death, but still, he was such a great character. If you weren't bummed out when he died while watching this, you're either racist, or have no soul whatsoever.

4. King Kong in King Kong

More so in the newer one. As silly as the 2005 Edition may be for making the ape seem like the family dog, it's so sad when he falls off the Empire State Building. I was cheering for him to smash all the planes that he could, then climb down, and smash the tanks. But alas, just because he's different …

3. Apollo Creed in Rocky IV

When Drago says, "He dies … He dies" you want him destroyed. This is the era of the cold war, and some steroid freak Russian killed the non-steroid using soulful black guy, and as Americans, we needed blood. Who else to send in to save us, but Rocky Balboa! That's why Rocky IV is the best ever "4th Installment" of a movie series ever.

2. Goose in Top Gun

I'm still in shock over this. This just seemed so unnecessary. Goose is probably one of the most fun-loving characters ever, and they killed him. I still feel bad for Meg Ryan today over this loss. Top Gun didn't need drama too it. It was an action movie. I hate when movies forget what they are.

1. Fredo in The Godfather Part 2

Michael didn't have to do it. He didn't. Everything would've been fine, and their relationship would have been better for it. Would the movie have been as good? Probably not, but The Godfather Part 3 may have been better … well, even though John Cazale died many years before it.

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