15. Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick, 1987)
Suicide is painless
From climbing obstacles like old people f***, to being born again hard, the trajectory of Private Pyle looked to be heading for some kind of battlefield heroics. Instead we got this – the carved grin of the truly detached, eyes lit for killing and blood all over the drill sergeant's gleaming white floor.
14. The Life Of Brian (Terry Jones, 1979)
Singing on the crucifix
Religious outrage surrounded the release of the Pythons’ masterpiece, and while the film’s actually very light on anti-God stuff, it is full of outrageous imagery – like a hillside of crucified prisoners cheerily chirping out a chorus of ‘Always Look On The Bright Side.’ Deliriously wonderful.
13. Irréversible (Gaspar Noé, 2003)
Face cave
The nastiest scene in Noe's misanthropic time-twister comes halfway through with that notoriously prolonged rape, but within minutes of the opening this scene setter is even more of a jolt. In fact it's payback for that assault, the back-to-front plot seeing Albert Dupontel’s Pierre rushing into a nightclub and flattening the face, flesh and bone of what turns out to be the wrong man with a fire extinguisher.
12. Freaks (Todd Browning, 1932)
The human worm sparks up
We’re spoilt for choice with Browning’s dazzling circus show, which features a mesmerizing cast of real life performers, but the limbless Prince Randian striking a match and lighting a cigarette is perhaps the most extraordinary.
11. Don't Look Now (Nicolas Roeg, 1973)
You're not my dad
The shocking, on-the-fringe-of-incomprehension conclusion to Roeg's prismatic horror tragedy. Having lost his daughter to accidental drowning – the child's bright red rain coat standing out amid the anguish – Donald Sutherland's haunted father experiences fractured premonitions, his hunt for elusive meaning cut fatally short when he's murdered by a wizened knife-wielding midget, with matching red coat.
10. Saving Private Ryan (Steven Spielberg, 1998)
Beach landing
The film might dissolve into comfortable sentimentality, but these opening minutes changed the aesthetics of war on film forever, with a rumbling assault on the senses and an unflinching tearing of flesh.
Next: 09 - 06
Comments
snooochies
Nov 24th 2009, 4:06
Oh dear! Close Encounters is actually post-Star Wars, having been released in November of '77. Awesome list though, missing the T-1000 though or even Arnie being good from T2
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NDitum
Nov 24th 2009, 9:30
Oh man, headslapping mistake. Had 1975 in my head. Obviously. I'll see if I can have a tinker... Terminator a good shout - there is a space left!
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ChristoLaurent
Nov 24th 2009, 10:55
I'd like to nominate Ichi The Killer (...any number of scenes!) and also Gozu, the ending is pretty out there, although I love the actual "Cow head" scene too. Dead of Night (Ealing) has the great ending, especially the moment with the dummy. Although not a great film, but passable, the ending of The Entity..."Welcome Home C**t"
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Pokoboy
Nov 24th 2009, 11:58
My jaw dropped when Bill Murray played himself in Zombieland. That was a pretty special moment in a mediocre zombie comedy.
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chenneye
Nov 24th 2009, 14:44
This should have had usual suspects at no.1 and surprised that the kerb scene from American History X is missing.
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BlueRyan
Nov 24th 2009, 18:48
For that golden 100th place i believe the "I have a Milkshake" scene from There will Be blood should own it. Considering it's one of the most bizzar and subliminal pieces of film in the past decade it should rightfully take the 100th place.
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Agent69
Nov 24th 2009, 21:26
That Irreversible scene scared me for life.
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Pokoboy
Nov 25th 2009, 22:49
Is this the same Nathan Ditum thats the reviews editor for official playstation magazine? 10/10 f0r uncharted 2!!! 11/10 surely?
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joVceski
Nov 26th 2009, 21:30
You have to watch Pascal Laugier's Martyrs, I couldn't pick up my jaw from start to finish, it's so f..... up.
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mark912smith
Nov 27th 2009, 12:06
Great list and good call no. 5 on the kerb scene from American History X. I thought that the 'tree-rape' scene from the Evil Dead might have placed somewhere?!?
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jrod85
Nov 27th 2009, 14:39
Thanks Pokoboy, some people haven't seen Zombieland yet. Way to ruin the surprise. Well done, j*****s
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Pokoboy
Nov 28th 2009, 7:47
ah my bad, apologies.
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NDitum
Nov 30th 2009, 0:49
Yes, same me as from OPM :) Seen Matyrs. Kinda hated it. It's nasty like falling over. Kerb scene - we had it in the recent shocking moments feature. I guess the shock had worn off...
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Hadouken76
Dec 1st 2009, 13:09
Whys is there a complete absence of John Carpenter movies? Like the girl asking for an ice cream in Assault on Precint 13? The little boy at the the start of Halloween? The doctor losing both arms in The Thing or the head spider?
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starwars4life
Dec 3rd 2009, 20:49
Awesome list, really, and yes; everything on this list has good value to be in the 99, BUT there is one film which I would personally place at number one and it was very surprising that you didn't include it: The Machinist!!!! It has one of the most awesome twists and jaw-dropping moments EVER in the history of film! Please amend the list and get it in there, it REALLY deserves it :)
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starwars4life
Dec 3rd 2009, 20:55
Almost forgot, not nearly as important as the machinist but Lucky Number Slevin deserves a place, it really has the shock factor and I would also say the scene in 'The Phantom Menace' where Maul ignites the double-bladed saber deserves a place further down becaus; although it may not seem like much now and television adverts probably ruined it, it is obviously a big reveal as he only uses one blade earlier and it must have been epic for the ignorant star wars fan at the time!
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RazorbalNL
Dec 9th 2009, 15:39
GREAT ARTICLE!!!
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littlebocuk
Jan 8th 2010, 21:39
Some of these moments really had me but I would like to see "Terminator removing his eye" thing in this list.
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