Shin Koyamada as Nobutada, dying with honor in The Last Samurai |
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I decided to take a break from my normal "Interview" style column. Interviews are fun, but they don't represent a writer's style like a normal column. So being a true film lover I thought that this would be a great article for all of the die hard film lovers out there to read and enjoy.
Only about 50% of the people that read this article will really "get" what I am talking about. People that live, eat, breath and worship the art of film will know EXACTLY what I am referring to. There are certain scenes in film that when you watch them you get goose bumps, I mean you literally get chills running through your body because you embraced the scene so much. This happens because you have so much love and respect for what the director, cinematogropher, actors and composer have been able to accomplish. Here is 10 of the scenes that stand out to me as marvelous achievements in movie history and also scenes that make me want to work in film!
WARNING SPOILERS
Number 10: The Last Samurai
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe
Directed by: Edward Zwick
This film has several scenes that stick out to me but specifically when Shin Koyamada who plays Nobutada, fends off the soldiers by taking several gun shots to the chest so that Katsumoto (his father) could escape. While telling his father goodbye he tells him to let him stay, this is a hard choice for a father to abandon their son knowing that they are going to die. His son knows that he will die anyways and would rather sacrafice the remaining portion of his life helping his father escape. Nobutada not only stands up and takes the bullets head on, but he still continues to kill them with arrows and even draws his swords while multiple lead balls fired from muzzles penetrate his body.......fighting till his very last breath for what he believed in. A true act of honor and courage!
Number 9: Cinderella Man
Starring: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti
Directed by: Ron Howard
Cinderella Man 
Russell Crowe as Jim Braddock in Cinderella Man..Fighting for his family... |
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follows Jim Braddock through the hard times of The Great Depression. After starting to make a comeback he finds himself in the match against Art Lasky. He is hit with Lasky's hardest punch, knocking out his mouth piece and almost giving him the dreaded knock out. The music starts, in slow motion you see flashbacks of the past due notices that were left on his home, his kids sitting in the cold hungry, and you hear the old timey camera's snapping photos because the reporters ringside think that he is about to fall. Braddock picks up his bloody mouth piece and gives the most cynical smile in the world to his oppenent letting him know that it would take 50 of the toughest, hardest punches that he has to keep him down because he is fighting for his family. To see that degree of determination from a character and to be able to read a characters mind by the performance of the actor is remarkable.
Number 8: Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Starring: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Aragorn and Theoden gather men to battle the armies of Mordor. They are outnumbered and tired. There is little chance of them winning but for the belief in Frodo and for the love of man they go to war. Frodo is at his breaking point and Gollum is destined to try and steal the ring once and for all. At the same time the warriors are being surrounded by the largest army they have ever seen. Aragon says the magic words........."For Frodo." Then the two smallest soldiers of the entire army being two hobbits named Merry and Pippin are the first to raise their swords and run at the enemies army knowing that they are destined to die. This scene exemplifies bravery and fighting for what you believe and Peter Jackson did a remarkable job showing the audience that size does not matter but heart does.
Number 7: The Shawshank Redemption
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman
Directed By: Frank Darabont
Andy Dufresne works for years to 
Neo proving that he is the one.... |
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chisel his way out of the Shawshank prison. Using a small rock hammer and determination he was able to do what no one thought was possible. After serving over 20 years for a crime he didn't commit, being wrongfully treated by the prison staff, and even raped by other prisoners, he finally breaks free. Andy had to fight for so long to keep going when it seemed like his life was meaningless. So after crawling through a sewage pipe he stands up and the music kicks in with the rain washing off the filth. He then starts walking fast towards the woods while he undresses himself..Freedom getting that much closer with every step......It is absolutley beautiful.... it will make you remember that scene forever.
Number 6: The Matrix Revolutions
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Hugo Weaving
Directed by: Andy Wachowski, Larry Wachowski
Probably one of the most beautiful scenes ever created for an action / sc-fi film. Neo tells the machines that he will defeat Agent Smith and he taps into the Matrix for the last battle. The deal is that if Neo can stop him then the machines will grant peace to the humans. The walk leading up to the battle is the scene that has burned in my mind. The action / fighting sequence that follows is great but not as strong as the "high noon" style shot that the directors were able to accomplish. You the see the lineup of over 1,000 Agent Smith's watching Neo walk to the battle and the audience know without a doubt that Neo has not an inch of fear in his whole body. Between the rain, the camera angles and of course the Oprah / symphony style music playing in the background, you know by this scene that it is the last battle and that a winner will emerge as the true ONE!
For the last 5 Top Scenes That Make You Want To Work In Film, check back in two weeks! I did not feel I could do this topic justice by cramming it into one article. Thanks for reading.
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| Tim Malcolm |
Tim Malcolm got his first job at a movie theater in 1996 working as a projectionist. He quickly learned that there was no better job then getting paid to watch movies. Since then he has been an advid film watcher, collector, critic and writer.
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