8 Most Violent Best Picture Winners

Gore moments in movies the Academy loved...

Feb 19th 2009 By Total Film

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The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences has never struck us as strongly stomached types.

Typically, the Best Picture Oscar goes to tragic tales of romance, heroes overcoming medical issues or heart-warming epics.

But there are exceptions to every rule, and some of the most famous gold-grabbing pics have featured claret-laden injury usually restricted to award-free genre films.

Here are a few of our favourite violent chunks through the years…

The Movie: The Godfather (1973)

The Stomach Churningly Violent Bit That Should've Put Off The Academy: Um, you want us to just pick one? Okay, how about this little montage, in which Michael (Al Pacino) celebrates his nephew’s baptism by having the five heads of enemy families slaughtered in a variety of surprising, bullet-flinging ways.

He has one bloke shot in the eye. Through his glasses!

Why It Won An Oscar Anyway: The subject meant violence was always going to be part of the characters’ lives and Coppola pulled off a masterpiece that both transcended the brutal moments and made them integral to the plot.

And the academy loves an eye-murder.