Top 50 Movie Gunfights

Who needs dialogue when you’ve got guns? If a picture says a thousand words, then a well-placed bullet in the head tells a whole goddamn story – gentlemen, these 50 awesome movie gunfights are your new holy scriptures. Stacked end to end, these cinematic shootouts contain enough corpses to choke a river, enough lead to sink Superman and enough blood to paint the world red – who cares about glamorising violence when it looks and sounds this awesome? Just remember, kids – guns don’t kill people, movie stars with guns kill people. Let the carnage commence…


50. SPIN ON THIS
BAD BOYS II (2003)
When Will Smith and Martin Lawrence attempt a Haitian takedown, their perps are found just a thin layer of brick and mortar away. Watch for Michael Bay’s carousel camera, which whirls round both parties as they take out their rage on the house’s poor doors and windows.





49. “COME QUIETLY OR THERE WILL BE... TROUBLE!”
ROBOCOP (1987)
Robocop’s directive seemed simple enough, but the crack-peddling goons in Kurtwood Smith’s drug factory had other ideas. Sadly, they wound up suffering Paul Verhoeven’s unique brand of ultra-violence gunishment, though Smith gets the brunt of Robo’s fury, getting thrown through three windows for good measure. He did say there would be trouble…





48. WHO NEEDS JAMES BOND?
SHOOT 'EM UP (2007)
Clive Owen plays it straight as sharpshooter Mr. Smith in this unashamedly testosterone-fuelled action romp: “Eay your vegetables,” he deadpans, ramming a carrot through one poor soul’s head before unleashing a volley of OTT gunfire that’d make even the most fervent gun nuts pop their load. Even Bond couldn’t pull that off.





47. RUSSELL TO THE RESCUE
PROOF OF LIFE (2000)
The film itself? Largely forgettable stuff. But the gung ho ending? Forget about it. Russell Crowe and his men venture deep into the jungle of fictional land Tecala to rescue David Morse’s hostage, grasping every opportunity to go full-on Soldier Of Fortune and make best use of their cutting-edge military hardware.





46. HERE TO DIE, GONE TOMORROW
A BETTER TOMORROW II (1987)
John Woo directed this Hong Kong action sequel and all but disowned it after the producer tried to tinker with it behind his back. The only thing Woo remains proud of is the final gun battle, which sees Chow Yun-Fat and associates going gun mental and racking up a body count nearing triple figures.





45. ANYTHING BUT DULLES
DIE HARD 2 (1990)
“How can the same shit happen to the same guy twice?” wondered Bruce Willis’ everyman hero John McClane. We say: who cares as long as the carnage looks this cool. With Dulles airport under siege, it’s up to McClane to bring down William Sadler’s men and save his own ass. Again.





44. INDY SHOT FIRST
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK(1981)
We all know the story by now. Harrison Ford, riddled through with dysentery, couldn’t bear another Spielberg-orchestrated fight. Rather than sweat his way through the planned fisticuffs with an Arab swordsman, Ford simply suggested: “Can’t we just shoot the sucker instead?” The resulting scene remains the funniest of the entire Indiana Jones trilogy.





43. EL MARIACHI WALKS INTO A BAR...
DESPERADO (1995)
Robert Rodriguez directs this cartoonish outburst of Wild West violence. Antonio Banderas is the guitar-playing gunslinger who takes on a bar full of miscreants, though perhaps he could have preserved some of his ammo by not shooting that one guy 15 times in the chest. That’s the Latin temperament for you.





42. BLOODIEST MOVIE EVER
HOT SHOTS! PART DEUX (1993)
After mocking Tom Cruise (about 15 years before it was fashionable) in Top Gun spoof Hot Shots, Part Deux focused its attention on the buff buffoonery of Rambo. As Topper Harley takes on hordes of Iraqi soldiers, he piles up the corpses until he's awarded the biggest movie body count ever. Yep, even bigger than Commando.





41. CLINT IS COMING
UNFORGIVEN (1992)
Haven’t you evil cowboys figured it out yet? Don’t fuck with Clint Eastwood. His hero here is slightly longer in the tooth than The Man With No Name, plus, of course, he has a name – he’s William Munny, and any sumbitch who takes a shot at him can expect full and bloody retribution.


40. BLOOD ON THE ICE
RUNNING SCARED (2006)
By all accounts, Running Scared is a god-awful movie: a puerile, boy's own fantasy about guns, drugs and gangsters. The one thing it gets right? A late-night shoot-out on an ice hockey rink, bathed in harsh blue neon light. The blood flows freely, the profanity moreso. It's dumb, but by Hell it's got spunk.





39. MR. SMITH GOES TO TOWN
LAST MAN STANDING (1996)
This isn’t Bruce Willis’ first entry on this list and it won’t be his last, but this crime thriller – set in a Prohibition-era America – is certainly one of his most underrated movies. Willis surely holds the record for the most henchmen dispatched on screen. You go get ‘em, killer.





38. ARMING THE ENEMY
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (1976)
It doesn't take long for John Carpenter to show audiences his crime thriller has balls: one dead little girl says he means business. Under siege by street gangs, the righteous officers of Precinct 9 (Division 13) resort to tooling up their prisoners to last through the night. Good plan.





37. BRANDON'S LAST STAND
THE CROW (1994)
A staple of goth movie nights across the world, this none more black comic-book thriller was granted instant iconic status when star Brandon Lee was killed by a blank gun cartridge while filming. Such tragedy means the following scene is difficult to watch, but at least Lee got a way cool cinematic send-off.





36. HOTEL HELLSTORM
SMOKIN' ACES (2006)
Joe Carnahan's ultra-stylish guns'n'ammo thriller saw a procession of hitmen looking to unload “boxes of bullets” into Jeremy Piven (we know how they felt). The movie was a disappointment, but the carnage is damn near unsurpassed – just check the clout on that Barrett sniper rifle. That's gotta hurt.





35. “THERE WAS A FIREFIGHT!”
THE BOONDOCK SAINTS (1999)
The director might have been a grade-A douchebag (see awesome career suicide documentary Overnight), but he knew how to throw down in a firefight. Willem Dafoe phones in a performance from another planet, but – and we can't believe we're saying this – Billy Connolly kicks unholy amounts of ass.





34. SUPERMARKET SHOWDOWN
HOT FUZZ (2007)
It might be a loving homage to American buddy cop movies, but the final half hour of Hot Fuzz gives Michael Bay and friends a run for their money. The Somerfield showdown can be found in full here (embedding was disabled on request) but we’ve featured a scene from Spaced that (possibly) served as an inspiration.





33. WHAM, BAM, THANK YOU HAN
STAR WARS (1997)
George Lucas raped my childhood. Han shot first. And so on. We all know Lucas dropped the ball in his pansification of A New Hope, but thank the Lord the original, untouched version is still available; a galaxy far, far away, where CGI doesn't exist and Han Solo is still the baddest motherfucker in the galaxy.





32. RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE
PREDATOR (1987)
When a vulva-faced space pirate takes down Jesse 'The Body' Ventura, his comrades in arms waste little time grieving. Instead, they tool up and blow the living shit out of everything in sight, taking out a chunk of rainforest the size of Texas in the process. It bleeds. They can kill it. Arnie does. The end.





31. CHARLEY AND BOSS VERSUS BAXTER
OPEN RANGE (2003)
Ain't nobody can do grim-faced American history like Kevin Costner, who – along with pardner Robert Duvall – lines up to throw down with Michael Gambon's bastard land baron in an epic Wild West shootout. A thrilling climax doesn't shy away from examining the consequences of violence, either.


30. WASHING THE SCUM OFF THE STREETS
TAXI DRIVER (1976)
The porno theatre mishap. The mirror pep talk. The mohawk. Martin Scorsese’s grimy look at street-level scum and mental instability was all foreplay for this climactic showdown between De Niro’s twitchy taxi driver and Harvey Keitel’s pimp. The clincher? No bullets left for Bickle to finish himself off. Damn it.





29. “BRAVO!”
FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (1965)
“When the chimes end, pick up your gun,” says fugitive El Indio to Lee Van Cleef's bounty hunter. “Try and shoot me Colonel. Just try.” A protracted stare-off ensues, with both men waiting for the final chimes of the pocketwatch to die before the slinging of guns can commence and the Morricone score continues.





28. “I PROMISE I WILL NOT KILL ANYONE”
TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY (1991)
How to bring back your iconic robo-killer after his death in your first film? Not a problem with a time-travel movie – Arnie returns in T2, now as a gun-toting protector of the saviour of mankind. He’s not allowed to kill, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have fun.





27. THE FOUNTAIN OF DEATH
THE WAY OF THE GUN (2000)
Call your movie The Way Of The Gun and you’d better make damn sure you have a gunfight to be proud of. Benicio del Toro and erstwhile pussy Ryan Phillippe deliver the goods, squaring off against multiple foes in a dusty courtyard. Hint: don’t swim in the fountain. It sucks.





26. WALKING ON BROKEN GLASS
DIE HARD (1988)
Shoeless, shirtless and hopeless, everyman John McClane finds himself holding the shitty end of the stick when he gets involved in a hostile takeover at Nakatomi Plaza. Sure, Hans Gruber’s goons have the firepower, but he’s got the smarts – and the better catchphrase.





25. THROWN IN AT THE DEEP END
NIKITA (1990)
Order to go, madam? Convicted felon-turned-assassin Nikita (Anne Parillaud) is betrayed by her new employers, finding her post-hit escape route blocked by a brick wall. The only way out? The way with all the guns and the shooting and the bullets and the dried spaghetti. Shit.





24. STAIRCASE SHOOTOUT
THE UNTOUCHABLES (1987)
A scene referencing ‘20s arthouse picture Battleship Potemkin – a film with a distinct lack of gunfights and car-chases, it has to be said – the legendary ‘Odessa Steps’ sequence throws a runaway baby slap-bang in the middle of a heady cordite cocktail. My baby, my baby!





23. THE FUNTOUCHABLES
NAKED GUN 33 1/3 (1994)
This Untouchables spoof beats out the original in sheer silliness. Lt. Frank Drebin and colleagues (including OJ Simpson – gulp) prepare an ambush on a crime boss but must also cope with the President, the Pope and disgruntled postal workers. Oh, and not one, but FOUR runaway babies.





22. CRUISIN' FOR A BRUISIN'
COLLATERAL (2004)
Tom Cruise makes a shockingly good bad guy as silver fox Vincent, who drags Jamie Foxx's cabbie around a gloomy LA as he pops caps in various asses. This pulsating nightclub hit is the undeniable highlight of the night, complete with a blind-sided character death at the close.





21. MOTEL MASSACRE
TRUE ROMANCE (1993)
It wouldn't be a Quentin Tarantino film if there wasn't a scene with tough talking guys trading barbed insults and pockets of lead, and True Romance doesn't disappoint. This motel room showdown at the movie's climax packs one hell of a punch, but ultimately gives wounded Clarence and Alamaba the all-clear to raise their mini-Elvis.


20. GOING OUT WITH A BANG
LEON (1994)
Pinned down into his NY apartment by Gary Oldman's crooked cop and his crew, the gig looks up for Leon, the gallic hitman-cum-surrogate parent. But he'll be goddamned if he's going down without a fight. For a cleaner, he sure makes a mess out of the assorted SWAT goons out for his blood.





19. OH DANNY BOY
MILLER’S CROSSING (1990)
Beautifully shot but savagely violent, this clip sees Albert Finney’s badass gang lord Leo tackle a pair of assassins with trademark Coen cool: the expression doesn’t change from ‘mildly perturbed’, even when he’s unloading a torrent of lead into one hitman’s back. Finney even gives the Terminator a run for his money – what is he, bullet-proof?





18. “KEEP YOUR LOVIN’ BROTHER HAPPY”
ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968)
At a base level, this climactic shootout is just two guys staring each other down. But the cinephile knows it's more than that. Charles Bronson is gunning for revenge against Henry Fonda's beady-eyed villain, the pair circling each other like vultures until their fingers twitch and their fate is sealed. More atmospheric than the entire ozone layer.





17. HOUSE INVADERS
THE KILLER (1989)
John Woo can kiss goodbye to his security deposit, because there's precious little left of the house he hired to film this frantic Hong Kong shootout. The climactic church shootout rivals this scene for overblown theatrics and emotion, but for sheer bloody destruction, this is unbeatable. Why can't you make movies this good any more, John?




16. NO MAN LEFT BEHIND
BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001)
Films based on true events tend to be difficult to enjoy; watching the conflict in Black Hawk Down unfold is an testing – if utterly thrilling – experience. After a US whirlybird spins out of control in war-torn Somalia, the soldiers within are besieged by locals baying for blood – their resolve only lasts so long before they're overwhelmed.





15. FRIENDS AND ENEMIES
BATTLE ROYALE (2000)
Here's a gunfight where emotions run as high as the body count. Trapped on an island and forced to even out their own numbers by vengeful adults, a group of unruly schoolkids turn their weapons on each other. Even the few that stick together don't survive for long.





14. GUNFIGHT AT THE OK CORRAL
TOMBSTONE (1993)
The definitive take on the most legendary gunfight in American history. The actual gunfight itself is short but sweet, as Kurt Russell’s Wyatt Earp takes on the Clanton lot with the help of brothers Bill Paxton and Sam Elliot, flanked by Val Kilmer’s hacking gunslinger Doc Holliday, who inevitably steals the show.





13. HIGH TIME FOR A GUNFIGHT
HIGH NOON (1952)
All Will Kane (Gary Cooper) wanted to do was leave town with his beautiful new bride, but the criminal fraternity had other ideas. Deciding to face the music instead of running like a girl might have been the best decision Kane ever made – it won Cooper an Oscar after all.





12. INTRODUCING GUNKATA
EQUILIBRIUM (2002)
Kurt Wimmer's futuristic ultra-violent actioner might just have been the first time we smelled a whiff of super stardom from Batman-to-be Christian Bale. Certainly his execution of fake-sounding martial art 'Gunkata' stuck in the memory – it's not often you see faceless goons dispatched with such style.





11. CHIGURH CHECKS OUT
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007)
Here's a showdown in which every shot counts – hell, it might be their last. Josh Brolin's cowboy cowers on one side of his hotel room door, while Javier Bardem's bowl-cutted nutjob readies his gas-powered stun-gun on the other. The result is an extraordinarily tense scene that helped bag the Coens an Oscar.



10. LEONE THREE-WAY
THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966)
The three gunslingers in this climactic scene might be Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef, but it’s composer Ennio Morricone who holds all the power here. The three-way Mexican standoff is one of cinema’s most enduring showdowns, thanks to Morricone’s legendary score. Okay, and Clint’s itchy trigger finger.





9. TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS
COMMANDO (1985)
Utter lunacy from Arnie here – only in the '80s could you get away with so much wanton carnage. Like a videogame character rocking Quad Damage and an Infinite Ammo cheat, Schwarzenegger mows his way through row after row of henchmen without breaking a sweat. Extra lives? Arnie shits 'em.





8. BURMA BLOODBATH
RAMBO (2008)
Stallone's Rambo rebirth masqueraded as political powerhouse (sombre news footage, topical location, black and white footage etc.) but its Grand Guignol gore was exposed come the final scene. JR rocks a mounted gun and wipes out the remains of Burma's army, cutting through over a hundred soldiers like they were coming from a goddamn spawn point.





7. “I’LL BE BACK…”
THE TERMINATOR (1984)
“It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead.” That’s Arnie’s Terminator, as described by fellow time-traveller Kyle Reese, and that pretty much covers it. How do you halt an unstoppable killing machine?





6. THE HORRORS OF WAR
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998)
Steven Spielberg's harrowing Normandy Landing sequence can hardly be called entertainment, but it’s a scarily realistic portrayal of war and a chilling reminder of what mankind is capable of. The visuals are disturbing (head shots, missing limbs) but it’s the sound that really hits home: an ungodly din of gunfire and panicked screams.





5. “SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!”
SCARFACE (1983)
It’s the scene memorable for that quote – you know, the one repeated ad nauseum by rappers and students – but the sequence it precedes is one of the most explosive gun battles in cinematic history. What’s more, the good guy is essentially the bad guy – why the hell are we rooting for a coked-up drug dealer again?





4. TEA-HOUSE TAKEDOWN
HARD BOILED (1992)
Poor old Chow Yun-Fat. He was just enjoying a simple cup of tea, then all hell breaks loose. This gunfight looks sloppy as all hell – bullets fly, limbs flail, birds flap and flutter – but there’s order in the chaos with John Woo bringing his A-game. Brutal, bloody and balletic.





3. THE REAL WILD WEST
THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
Wait… Westerns are supposed to be measured and exacting and elegiac, right? Sam Peckinpah put paid to that stereotype with the rootin’est, tootin’est gunfight ever staged in the Wild West of America. Try and count the bullets, the corpses and the acrobatic spills over balconies: you can’t. Incalculable carnage.





2. “GUNS... LOTS OF GUNS…”
THE MATRIX (1999)
Neo wasn’t kidding: in order to save humanity, the saviour of mankind and his revolutionary buddies would need to stock up on enough firepower to arm a small nation. The resulting showdown is one of modern cinema’s most enthralling gun-battles: violence has rarely looked this good on screen. Love that perfectly timed pillar crumble.





1. THE BANK JOB
HEAT (1995)
Admit it, you knew this was coming. The moment De Niro’s crew of criminals opened fire on Pacino’s cops, it became apparent that this exchange of gunfire was going to top some movie lists in its time. What makes it great? The mechanics of battle? The ear-shattering sound? The quintessential battle between good and evil? Our vote goes to Val Kilmer’s wry smile before the chaos ensues. He knew. Ali