Your Top 5 All-Time Memorable Movie Scenes
 

opinions only, no facts!

My top 5... in no particular order:

1. "American Psycho" - First killing

2. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" - Mothership Revealed

3. "...And Justice for All" - Final Courtroom Scene

4. "The Gangs of New York" - Assassination attempt of Bill Cutting

5. "2001 a Space Odyssey" - Stargate

A few from the Godfather Part II come to mind: when Tom Hagen and Frankie Pentangeli talk in the prison compound and discuss the history of how things used to be; Michael and Fredo discussing Fredo's betrayal, and the ensuing consequence. Pretty much any scene in the same movie with Robert De Niro.

Jimmy Chitwood's jumper

Col. Kilgore's surfing scene

The gimp scene (pulp fiction)

When Greg Focker meets Kevin.

A looper, you know, a caddy

My personal favorites:

1. Bar scene, fade to Paris flashback, Casablanca
2. Valera saves Conan, Conan kills Rexor, Conan the Barbarian
3. Luke defeats Vader/Vader kills the Emperor, Return of the Jedi
4. Preparation for Fort Wagner assault/Give 'em hell, 54!, Glory
5. Kirk returns fire on the Reliant/Here it comes - Star Trek II

From the top of my head...

1. Train station stairs scene - The Untouchables
2. Han comes back, clears shot for Luke - Star Wars
3. Indy Jones gets the idol, evades boulder - Raiders of the Lost Ark
4 (TIE) End of Big Fish/End of Rudy/End of Field of Dreams (chokes me up every time)
5. "WHAT's IN THE BOX???? - Seven

Honorable mention for "WTF!!!!" Movie moment - end of Saw

No particular order:

* "Saving Private Ryan" Normandy Beach landing
* "The Godfather" the baptism/ all accounts settled scene
* "The Quiet Man" the brawl at the end of the film
* "True Grit (original John Wayne version)" last gun fight scene
* "The Deer Hunter" Russian Roulette scene

Honorable mention for "Road To Perdition" and the Church basement scene.

Any and all of these are subject to change as others come to mind.

I wanted to list something from Casablanca but, I couldn't pin point a scene that I liked more than another. A testiment to just how good the film is.

raiders of the lost ark sword vs gun
jaws gonna need a bigger boat
dark night returns magic trick
star trek 3 KAAAAAAAAAAHN
Avengers Puny god

things that have made me happy in movies

I could probably just use 5 scenes from the Star Wars trilogy. So many iconic scenes.

I'd probably go further than the emperor's scene in RotJ, though, and use the entire closing sequence, where you have three different plotlines coming together simultaneously, with the Vader/Luke/Palpatine fight, the lowering of the shield on the moon of endor, and the space battle and destruction of the death star. It's just huge in scope and I just love watching that whole 15-20 minutes. "Epic" is a word that's both been bastardized and overused these days, but that 20 minutes is an epic conclusion to an epic film trilogy. It's like the final movement of a symphony.

2001 is the same, there are so many iconic moments in that film, from the apes with the monolith, to the initial sequence in space, to HAL, to the stargate.

Casablanca, too, so many iconic (and quotable!) scenes. My favorite's probably the end sequence at the airport, where Rick has Ilsa convinced he's leaving with her, only to have her leave with Victor Lazlo. Then he walks off into the fog with Captain Renault. Just tremendous. Damn, I need to watch Casablanca again now.

Andy Dufresne in the rain, after his escape from Shawshank.

The end of Se7en.

Alec Guinness, "What have I done?" and falling onto the detonator at the end of The Bridge Over the River Kwai.

Sharon Stone in interrogation during Basic Instinct! I was 18. I will never forget.

1. The period from where John McClane discovers the C4 on the roof to jumping off the roof of the Nakatomi building.
2. The bank shootout in Heat.
3. The "Sicilian" scene in True Romance.
4. Bruce Willis killing Jack Black in The Jackal, because I ****ing hate Jack Black.
5. I know this might not count to some of you, but the Normandy leaving Earth in Mass Effect 3. I've never seen a video game scene evoke so much pathos.

Outstanding one....had forgotten that.....and throw in Oldman and Slater scene also!

I think you could say the same for the opening sequence with the Normandy's destruction and Shepard's death at the beginning of ME2. Shepard's breathing, the leaking suit, and then the piano theme. Just a few notes.

I now feel compelled to do another five (I could probably do another 20 or 30):

Dad... do you want to have a catch? Field of Dreams
Michael assassinates Sollozo and McCluskey - Godfather
Final shootout - L.A. Confidential
Pruett plays Taps - From Here to Eternity
Students file into the classroom when Jurel threatens to quit - Teachers

absolutely!

I'd say the reveal of your character's true identity from the original KOTOR tops both of them.

I still say that game's better than all of the Star Wars movies combined.

Maximus reveals himself to Commodus - Gladiator
The Enterprise arrives in time to support Spock's vessel -Star Trek (2009)
McQuade drives his truck out of the dirt filled hole - Lone Wolf McQuade
The Dude learns what Jackie Treehorn was writing - The Big Lebowski
Hans Landa gets branded - Inglourious Basterds

Another great choice!

Jimmy Chitwood's jumper

You talking to me

Horse head in bed

I could have been a contender

Saving Private Ryan beach scene

Lone Wolf McQuade. Well done. You are a connoisseur of cinematic art. :clap:

In this order...

1. The Godfather: Baptism/Settling scores
2. Citizen Kane: "Rosebud."
3. Psycho: Shower scene
4. Singin' in the Rain: "Singin' in the Rain"
5. The Godfather II: "I know it was you, Fredo."

Honorable mention

Network: "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore!"

Forest Gump, feather scenes with the music or lt. dan on top of the boat thanking forrest and talking about god.
Predator, whole scene with Jesse and the minigun getting shot by the predator, then the group going nuts unloading ammo.
Basic Instinct, when the legs open up, cinema gold.
Spartacus, When Spartacus is forced to kill his friend Varro. I was pissed for days at work..
Dr. Who, When Tennet is saying his goodbyes..

Other scenes for consideration:

* "Chinatown" Final scene, "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown."
* "Patton" Opening scene, speech in front of the flag
* "Apocolypse Now" Opening scene
* "Goodfellas" Funny How? scene
* "From Russia With Love" fight on the train

That movie taught me all I need to know about manhood.

Absolutely.

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I consider when the music start to be one scene. I get entranced & marveled by it.

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My favorite scene in Diggstown comes about at the 9:35 mark. What a great ****ing movie.

Cool Hand Look is my favorite movie any scene would be on my list.

i see many that i agree with. here are a few more that haven't been mentioned

blade runner - Tears in rain soliloquy
unforgiven - you shouldn't decorate your place with my friends
the thing - petri dish heat test

Most of mine have been mentioned, but I'll add a few.

The sacrifice/killing scene at the end of Apocalypse Now.
The Bible quote/English mother****er scene from Pulp Fiction.
The tipping scene in Reservoir Dogs.
Ferris Beuhler running home.
The battle for Helms Deep in LotR: Two Towers

Lots of good ones already mentioned. I must add "FREEDOM" from Braveheart.

Always scares me, doesn't matter that I've seen it a dozen times.

Everything about the Kurt Russell thing is still amazing to this day..Even the special effects are still good.. I like how the prequel did so well in matching up items of their base from the movie..

I'll be your huckleberry

Michael Corleone standing outside the hospital

How do you like my little friend

The best trick the devil ever played was convincing the world he didn't exist

The home run into the lights in the Natural

Not at the table Carlos

1. No Country for Old Men - the coin toss scene

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2. Dirty Harry - Do I feel lucky?

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3. Apocalypse Now - Charlie don't surf!

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4. Heat - Al Pacino and Robert Deniro having coffee

surprisingly I can't find a video

5. The Jerk - He hates these cans!

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Heck, five more...

Serenity engages the Alliance fleet with the Reavers right behind them - Serenity

"Tell 'em large Marge sent ya." - Pee Wee's Big Adventure

"...I will find you, and I will kill you." - Taken

Chuck Norris with the thumbs up - Dodgeball

Frank Drevin peeing with the mic still on - The Naked Gun

Would be hard to pick only 5. Hell, I've already seen more than five from posts in this thread.

More of my favorites:

Arthur's knights riding through the blossoming trees for their final battle in Excalibur
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Faramir's Sacrifice
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Shugart and Gordon, Black Hawk Down
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Jaws appears -jaws
Ship appears -star wars
Beach scene -saving private ryan
Freedom -braveheart
say hello to my little friend -scarface.

campfire scene -blazing saddles.

I dig your vibe, man. 1, 2 and 5 were already on my mental list before I saw your post.

This, and also Smith's Stonehenge speech have cemented me into Who fandom.

28 Days Later - Opening scene (Hellooooooo.....)
Full Metal Jacket - Private Pyle meltdown
Last Boy Scout - Aien't Life a Bitch
Crossroads - Ralph Machio guitar duels with the devil
It - Sailboat falls into the gutter (could never look a clown in the eye again)

For sure those three have to be in the top 50 of any credible list.

The other two show my John Wayne homerism. But I don't think there is anything wrong with that.



I just got done watching the movie "M*A*S*H", and while I wouldn't put any of the scenes in my top 20, let alone top 5, the film is chuck full of wonderful scenes from start to finish. Great movie, and great theme song.

Beaver shot - Basic Instinct
beach scene -from here to eternity

Excellent suggestions so far. Most of the ones that initially popped to mind have been mentioned, so I'll throw a feew more out....


John Coffey rides the lightning - The Green Mile

Goose gets killed ejecting from the plane - Top Gun

"Run, Forrest! RUN!" - Forrest Gump

Vader tells Luke he's his father - Empire Strikes Back

Phoebe Cates showing her boobs coming out of the pool - Fast Times at Ridgemont High

So many great ones.

I'll just name the most powerful scene I've seen in years, which was the very first scene in Inglorious Basterds.

Also, the crucifixion of Christ in Passion of the Christ.

Ugh! That was depressing. How the hell do you have that in a top 5?

Goodfellas: Could be any scene but I'll go with the first time Henry takes Karen to the night club through the back way

Godfather: Opening wedding sequence.

Pulp Fiction: The scene where they are cleaning up the car at Tarantino's house

Glengarry Glen Ross: Coffee is for closers scene

The Shawshank Redemption: Tarring the roof scene, followed by the bull queer getting the shit kicked out of him.

Debo gets knocked the **** out -friday

Lots of tarantino and coen bros. would make up mine.

Hey dad...wanna have a catch?

It was just "memorable" from that film to me. Most memorable scenes are usually depressing or shocking.

Take that scene in "We Were Heroes" where the Asian soldier is burned badly. They try to pick him up to get him on the chopper, only to have the skin on his legs peel off. Both shocking and incredibly depressing, but it is damned well memorable.

we were soldiers

Correct. Thanks.

Great pulls

Awesome!! This and Apocalypse Now probably drive my disdain of green screens and CGI. Lots have mentioned portions of AN's 'Charlie don't surf' scene, but I am enthralled when I see the 'real world' through the lens of a camera in new and startling ways, so the whole scene from the start of Ride of the Valkeries over the bullhorns just amazing.

As for the SPR Normandy scene, I can hardly contemplate, let alone watch, that opening scene, but I love it with all of my heart. My maternal grandfather was a buck private on that beach and worked his way all the way to Berlin. Get him liquored up and he's bust out stories on occasion, including the whole pretending to be dead as Germans inspected the killing fields. But my idiot cousin [lived next door to gramps] decided to break out some German right behind him when he was unsuspecting, and got a gut punch on reflex for his efforts [late '80s and gramps' reflexes were as sharp as '45].

I try to block those things out until I am actually watching them. Not to say that memorable has to be good or fun scenes but, the depressing doesn't really do it for me most of the time. Just me.

Goddamn that scene from Glory was awesome.

I'd like to nominate the last 5 minutes of both Usual Suspects and Midnight Run.

I'm also not stall enmbarassed to say I like singing in the rain. I gotta say, though, that I had no appreciation for Citizen Kane. I like many o,d movies but that one really didn't do it for me.

Hey, I listed the boob scene in Fastimes. I'm not all doom and gloom.

"The Ghost" Mel Gibson slaughters a British detachment with a tomahawk - The Patriot
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"Beatrix Kiddo vs Elle Driver" Uma plucks a bitches eye out - Kill Bill vol 2
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"Single take" The hallway fight scene from - Old Boy
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"Dont mess with pikeys" One of the final scenes in the movie where everything comes together - Snatch
(NSFW/SPOILERS)
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"The Lobby" the crowning scene of the first - Matrix
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Warrior - Final fight, brother against brother.

Braveheart - Torture scene in the end.

How to Train Your Dragon - I loved the scenes when he bonds with his dragon, symbolizes a man and his best friend.

Star Trek (Remake/Reboot) - The beginning, very emotional.

Last of the Mohicans - The end cliff scene was a great one no doubt about it.

Theres so many but these are the five that when I watched them on the big screen it was crazy awesome.

a few more

Pulp Fiction - Say what again mother****er

The matrix - when neo starts seeing things in code

Goodfellas - How am I funny? Funny like a clown?

Psycho - the shower scene

Exorcist - when they were trying to give her an exorcism

The Deer Hunter - russian roulette scene

Saving Private Ryan - normandy landing

Taxi - you talking to me?

Shawshank Redemption- final scene on the beach
American Beauty- plastic bag video scene
Amadeus- Mozart toying with Salieri's march of welcome on piano
Passion of the Christ- flashback to Jesus the boy and Mary running to him
Spinal Tap- these go to 11

1. Shawshank Redemption - Andy finally tastes freedom in the rain.
2. Forrest Gump - Forrest says goodbye to Jenny's grave.
3. Stalag 17 - Sefton exposes Price as the spy.
4. The Godfather - Woltz wakes up with his horse's head in his bed.
5. Star Trek II - KAAAHN!!!!!

I liked the "Leaving Earth" theme so much I actually put it on my MP3 player. The scene of the Normandy leaving with the soft piano notes as the Reapers cascade through the atmosphere like gigantic mechanized locusts hellbent on stripping our population bare gives me actual goosebumps.

The final 10 minutes of The Last of the Mohicans.
The scene in Goodfellas with the Helicopter.
The scene in Boogie Nights at the drug dealers house, (little kid with firecrackers).
Master and Commander: The final battle.
History of the World: Either the Inquisition or the French Revolution.

The miniseries for It was ok but a little dated. If you haven't read the book, do it now. Right now, buy it online or get the audiobook or whatever you need to do. It's the most wacked out ending ever and the miniseries ****ed it all up.

Yeah, I can't remember how the book ended, but I remember it being different. I remember that in the miniseries, the first half was intense and awesome. Then the second half was meh and the ending was just brutal. Might pick this up just to remind myself of the ending. But still... the scenes with the little kid, the sailboat, and the bleeding picture... when I was a kid, it just gave me chills.

HIYA, GEORGIE!

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****, should not have watched that before bed.

Opening scene of Super Troopers (stoners get pulled over)

Dark Knight - Ledger's Joker debut scene w/ the mob

Johnny Ringo vs Doc Holliday duel in Tombstone

Normandy scene - Saving Private Ryan

Radio contact blackout scene Apollo 13 (I was really young when this movie came out..knew it was a true story, but didn't know about any of the missions really other than 11 moon landing.

I HATE THAT ****ING CLOWN :#

Braveheart: Freedom
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No country for old men: Dream end scene
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LOTR: Sam's Speech
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Forrest Gump: LT. Dan makes peace with god
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Burn After Reading: Brad Pitt gets shot
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Full Metal Jacket - Sniper Scene

Pulp Fiction - Wristwatch Scene

The Dark Knight - Two face / Joker in Hospital

Good One!

1. Schindler's List - Girl in the red coat scene and "I could have done more"
2. A Few Good Men - "You want me on that wall, you NEED me on that wall"
3. Pulp Fiction - Ending scene with Ringo
4. Star Wars - "I love you." "I know." bad ass line.
5. Saving Private Ryan - Beach scene and the end "Tell me I'm a good man"
6. Usual Suspects - Roger Kint shuffles out of the Police Station.

Non-Movie Honorable Mention:

Band of Brothers "Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?" "Grandpa says no, but I served in a company of heroes" (dust gets in my eyes, every time)

Rounders - Final game with KGB

The, "I don't shine shoes no more," scene in Goodfellas.
The scene in Goodfellas where he describes Paul Cicero slicing garlic with a razor blade.
Maltese Falcon where Spade tells O'Shaughnessey that she's taking the fall.
The, "I coulda been a contender," scene from On the Waterfront.

I don't know about the 5th.

I agree 100% with this. I've watched Citizen Kane a second time just to make sure I didn't like it. I think On the Waterfront should replace it in the rankings.

Fletch The scene where Chevy Chase is running from the cops and he grabs the mic and improvs at a tribute to Fred "the dorf" Dorfman

Good Will Hunting- The scene where Ben Afflek basically tells Matt Damon that he's pissing his life away if he's still hanging around and not taking advantage of his smarts

Clerks- My girlfriend sucked 37 dicks. In a row?

Casino- The scene where Joe Pesci threatens to put the banker into a coma.

Goodfellas- The scene where they threaten to throw the mailman into the pizza oven.

the cheater/hammer scene was a little uncomfortable

Mullholland Drive - when Laura Harring "meets" Naomi Watts


JIMP

1: "You have offended my family and you have offended a Shaolin Temple" - Enter the Dragon

2: At the end of Wall-E when Eve is trying to revive Wall-E but it isn't happening and he starts to go back doing his job.

3: First 9 minutes of Full Metal Jacket introducing Boot Camp.

4: "The first rule of fight club is...you don't talk about fight club" - Fight Club

5: The end of "For a Few Dollars More" where the Colonel is squaring off against Indio and you have the music playing and just before the music ends Clint comes in with the other watch and makes the fight fair.

No Particular Order:

-Reservoir Dogs Scene in the Coffee Shop where they discuss "Like a Virgin" and tipping.

-Gallipoli: Ending scene- "How fast are you going to run?...as fast as a leopard."

-Glengarry Glen Ross: "Coffee's for closers"

-Miller's Crossing: "When I've raised hell sister, you'll know it."

-Unforgiven: "I've killed women and children. I've killed every thing that walks or crawls at one time or another, and I'm here to kill you Little Bill for what you done to Ned."

Honorable Mention:

-Ending scene in Breaker Morant. "Shoot straight you bastards, don't make a mess of it."