The 10 most satisfying deaths in cinema history
Where would cinema be without the satisfying death of a baddie? Masters of cinema have long realised the power of villains, with the likes of Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, Christopher Lee, Ralph Fiennes, Anthony Hopkins and Javier Bardem, each creating some of the most gloriously dislikable antagonists of all time.
Finally seeing their comeuppance for countless despicable crimes, almost each and every villain from cinema history eventually meet their maker, with many of these moments providing some undeniably satisfying shivers of frisson. From big baddies who are struck down with extreme prejudice to armies of foes who meet their end through the smart wit of the hero, we’ve curated a careful list of favourites below.
Including classic blockbuster moments as well as satisfying moments from such cinematic geniuses as Michael Mann, Martin Scorsese, Paul Verhoeven, Brian De Palma, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott, join us as we delve into some gloriously satisfying deaths.
The 10 most satisfying deaths in cinema history:
10. Bennett – Commando (Mark L. Lester, 1985)
One actor who was always sure of catching his fictional villain was Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the American actor and body-builder dedicated to creating somewhat cheesy action flicks back in the 1980s that consistently involved a nasty villain and high body counts. Just one of these was Commando, an action movie like no other that sees the actor play an ex-black ops commando who must rescue his daughter from a band of thugs.
But, fear not, the big baddie, Bennett (Vernon Wells), gets his comeuppance in the end, with Schwarzenegger finishing him off with a quick quip; “let off some steam”. Brilliant.
9. Magua – The Last of the Mohicans (Michael Mann, 1992)
Beloved by fans and critics, Michael Mann’s Last of the Mohicans is a dramatic thriller that follows a battle between Britain and France in colonial America, where a team of Mohican scouts are tasked with protecting the daughter of a British officer. Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Madeleine Stowe, Wes Studi and Jodhi May, the movie is fueled by a brilliant villain who is deceitful and deliciously dislikeable.
Magua (Studi) meets his demise at the end of the film after a meaningful duel with Chingachgook (Russell Means). It’s a powerful bookend to Mann’s 1990s classic.
8. Bill – Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (Quentin Tarantino, 2004)
Quentin Tarantino knows how to do a satisfying death scene, but none of his is quite as great as the death of Bill in his 2004 action movie, Kill Bill: Vol. 2. As the climactic scene of the two-film series, it was a relief that Bill’s death (which is the entire end-goal of the movies) was nice and satisfying, seeing Uma Thurman’s Bride use the ‘Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique’ on her greatest nemesis.
With the director recently confirming Kill Bill: Vol. 3, we’d love to see how Tarantino could build from the thrilling climax of the second instalment.
7. Clarence J. Boddicker – RoboCop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987)
Though RoboCop was appreciated back in the late 1980s, you can’t help but feel its cult status has enjoyed more love in recent years, where its satirical edge and criticism of the police force have led to a more modern re-evaluation. Whilst there are several highly enjoyable deaths, nothing can beat the demise of the main villain, Clarence J. Boddicker, who is killed by his own technological invention at the film’s climax.
His final judgement, of course, comes at the hand of the title character, who makes sure the deceitful businessman is made to pay for his capitalist crimes, helping to throw him out of the top of a highrise building and plummet to his death.
6. Jabba the Hutt – Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983)
Is Jabba the Hutt the most hideous creature in all of cinema? Quite possibly. A giant slug with massive orange eyes and a vast tongue that rolls out like a red carpet, Jabba is a gangster and crime lord who is in command of a horrible gang of rogues who go against the Rebels in Richard Marquand’s Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, co-written by George Lucas.
His satisfying demise comes whilst his ship hovers over the Sarlacc Pit and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) escape from the clutches of his goons whilst Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), who is being held captive by the slug, strangles him with her own chains. Lovely.
5. Colin Sullivan – The Departed (Martin Scorsese, 2006)
Martin Scorsese’s celebrated remake of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s 2002 movie Infernal Affairs is all about cat and mouse crime where deceit pervades like a virus. One of these questionable characters is Colin (Matt Damon), a plant in the police force who has been groomed by the very Irish gang that he was previously trying to take down.
Taken in by the magnetism of Jack Nicholson’s Frank Costello, Colin pretty much goes about taking out all the good guys, steadily building the audience’s hatred of him as the film goes on. Thankfully, he meets his end at the film’s climax through the hand of Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam (Mark Wahlberg).
4. Margaret – Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)
The 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s classic horror novel, Carrie, is known as one of the greatest genre flicks of all time, thanks to some truly special casting in Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie. Indeed, the titular girl, with a strange fantastical telekinesis power, is something of a villain in and of herself, though her actions are not helped by the domineering presence of her wicked mother, Margaret (Laurie).
A religious nut, Margaret locks Carrie in her room and punishes her for her gifts instead of nurturing and protecting her, almost inevitably, this leads to carnage and the ultimate death of the mother at the hand of her own daughter.
3. Hans Gruber – Die Hard (John McTiernan, 1988)
Celebrated as one of the greatest action movies of all time (and questionably one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time), John McTiernan’s Die Hard stars Bruce Willis in his most memorable role. But to call Die Hard merely Willis’ movie would be to do it a disservice, with the villain, Hans Gruber, played by Alan Rickman, being pivotal to the film’s success, providing a brilliant, menacing performance.
Similar to how the big boss of RoboCop dies, Hans Gruber is also flung from the edge of a high-rise, falling to his death with a satisfying splat.
2. The Nazis – Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)
No one likes the Nazis, and if you do, you’re a terrible person. They’re the ultimate villains, which is why they’ve always made such great antagonists in movies and television programmes. This is what makes the ending of Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark so enormously satisfying, as we see Nazi after Nazi get their head melted, exploded or disintegrated.
Whilst Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is tied to a pole, one wonders how he’ll get himself out of this scrape, but all he needs to do is close his eyes whilst he watches the Nazis foil their own plan, opening the Ark of the Covenant whereby they are each killed by an ancient evil. Shame that Jones couldn’t even see the result of his own efforts.
1. Commodus – Gladiator (Ridley Scott, 2000)
Joaquin Phoenix is a great actor, he may even be the greatest actor of contemporary cinema, with his performance in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator proving this beyond doubt. Brilliant at playing a bastard, Phoenix’s Commodus kills his father, the Emperor, and banishes the next in line for the throne, Maximus (Russell Crowe). The latter becomes a gladiator in Commodus’ own kingdom, riding up to reclaim his rightful place as the emperor.
A revenge story of the most satisfying order, the snivelling Commodus meets his comeuppance in the most satisfying way possible after constant deception, lies and corruption.
