The 10 best last stand scenes in movies

The ultimate act of self-sacrifice, there's nothing like a good last Stand to make hearts beat faster and the audience get up from their seats. There is something inimitably romantic in the notion of sacrificing one's life when faced with certain death, a courageous refusal to simply lie down and surrender despite all hope seemingly being lost in the face of impossible odds. Consequently, it's no surprise that these high-stakes, drama-rich sequences make for excellent cinema, with some of the greatest films of all time utilizing an evocative last stand to great effect.

There is no set form for a perfect finishing position. They have been used successfully in different genres, from the best war films of all time to the best science fiction films ever made. In some cases, the cavalry arrives to save the day at the last minute, but other final stands can end in considerably more tragic circumstances. From noble examples of self-sacrifice that cost heroes their lives to courageous acts of defiance in the face of impending destructionThe best last stand scenes in films have the ability to move and live long in the memory like few other sequences.

10

Wolverine's Killing

Logan (2017)

Serving as a fitting conclusion to one of popular culture's most iconic superheroes until his recent return from the dead in 2024. Deadpool and Wolverine2017 Logan supposedly ended the eponymous character's story with an explosive final stand for the ages. With the mutant children ambushed by Donald Pierce and his Reavers during the film's final act, Hugh Jackman's weakened charge overdoses on an experimental serum, temporarily increasing Logan's healing powers and physical strength.

The simultaneous result is an epic display of Logan at his most terrifyingly ferocious, an unbridled killing machine that cuts through the Reavers like a hot knife through butter. It's a thrilling action sequence that ends with a showdown of titanic proportions, in which Logan dies heroically in a savage fight with his sadistic, brainwashed clone X-24. While Dafne Keen's Laura manages to dispatch her killer soon after, Logan's final selfless stand ends with the (temporary) death of the legendary Wolverine.

9

Wardaddy and his crew defend the tank

Fury (2014)

One of the best depictions of camaraderie between soldiers in war films, David Ayer's Fury chronicles the endgame of the European theater during World War II from the perspective of the crew of the Sherman tank of the same name. The film's electrifying final act sees the tank immobilized by a mine. Faced with an approaching SS battalion, Brad Pitt's “Wardaddy” refuses to abandon Furycausing his crew to stay behind with him. One of the most memorable last scenes in cinema just from a visual point of view Fury The final shootout is an epic spectacle of bloody carnage.

Despite a great effort, the heavily outnumbered tank crew is duly eliminated one by one; Logan Lerman's Norman Ellison is the only survivor of the savage battle, after a young SS soldier takes mercy on him and fails to alert the battalion about his survival. Fury ends with a shell-shocked Ellison being driven off by arriving American troops, before a final shot captures the tank surrounded by countless dead soldiers, poignantly underlining the costly nature of this epic final stand for the ages.

8

Shughart and Gordon defend the helicopter

Black Hawk Down (2001)

A blockbuster war drama depicting the true story of a helicopter crash during the Battle of Mogadishu. Black Hawk down is one of acclaimed director Ridley Scott's best films. Depicting the frantic efforts of isolated and heavily outnumbered American forces to repel the attack on Somali militia members, it must be argued that Black Hawk down It's the film's last stand.

With that said, one notable sequence comes to mind given the sheer levels of composure and bravery displayed in the face of harrowing odds. The gripping scene shows two Delta Force snipers volunteering to be inserted into the middle of the action to rescue an injured pilot from the helicopter wreckage. Despite being hopelessly outnumbered by the militia forces, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's Gary Gordon and Johnny Strong's Randy Shughurt fight valiantly to the end, doing justice to the heroism of the real-life men who inspired the film in a bracing way.

7

Vazquez and Gorman leave on their own terms

Foreigners (1986)

Litigious history Foreigner the best film in the franchise, 1986 Aliens is widely considered one of the best and most influential science fiction films of all time. Chronicling Ellen Ripley's second encounter with the franchise's horrific Xenomorphs, James Cameron's film plays host to a memorable last stand as Sigourney Weaver's charge and Colonial Marines flee to the evacuation site with their extraterrestrial pursuers in their wake. heels.

In the chaos, William Hope's Gorman redeems an earlier moment of cowardice by staying behind to help his injured comrade, Vazquez; the duo runs out of ammunition when they are cornered by the Xenomorphs. Faced with certain death, the two soldiers choose to leave with one last gesture of defiance. blasting themselves and their pursuers to kingdom come with explosives. The pair are on their own terms, a fitting state of affairs that's emblematic of humanity's resilience throughout the franchise.

6

The Spartans make Xerxes bleed

300 (2006)

A heavily embellished dramatization of the Battle of Thermopylae by Zack Snyder 300 is a last stand in and of itself, considering the film follows a group of 300 Spartan soldiers trying to repel a Persian invasion force more than 1000 times their number. Despite fighting bravely, the 2006 film shows the Spartans eventually defeated and surrounded, provoking a last act of resistance from the men who make war their profession as the enemy demands their surrender.

In one of the most visually stunning last stands ever seen, the seemingly complacent defenders wounded Rodrigo Santoro's supposed immortal. “God King” Xerxes for a Pyrrhic moral victory, going out in an unforgettable blaze of glory while taking with him an impressive number of his enemies. Even with several arrows stuck in his chest, Gerard Butler's Leonidas still has enough left for a stunning final roar of defiance. It takes a sky-blocking rain of arrows to finally take down the Spartan king and put an end to one of cinema's most iconic last stands.

5

Captain Mifune fights the Sentinels

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

While The Matrix Revolutions is generally considered the worst Headquarters film and a disappointing conclusion to the original trilogy, the Wachowskis' 2003 sci-fi action offering boasts one of the most memorable last stands in cinematic history. This enviable prize belongs to Nathaniel Lee's Captain Mifune, who descends all guns blazing in his combat walker as the Sentinels finally breach Zion's defenses in a spectacular visual sequence.

Faced with an impossible number of opponents, Mifune continues shooting until the end, keeping his tormentors at bay until he is mortally wounded. Lee's charge puts a finishing touch on a last stand for good, heroically urging Kid to open the silo doors, allowing arrival Mjolnir to save the day by discharging your EMP and knocking out all attacking Sentinels. While Zion was left defenseless by the EMP blast, Mifune's valiant final stand bought the humans valuable time.

4

Tony fights to the end

Scarf (1983)

This says a lot about the lasting cultural impact of Tony Montana's last stand in 1983. Scar that the immortal sequence depicting the drug dealer's death is arguably more famous than he is. Closing one of Al Pacino's best films, the gangster meets the sticky end he was always destined for after crossing paths with drug lord Alejandro Sosa, but refuses to go quietly into the night with a final stand for good.

High as a kite of cocaine and wielding a grenade launcher as Sosa's forces surround his mansion, Tony delivers his iconic catchphrase “Say hello to my little friend!” before doing the same with his firearm in one of cinema's most historic scenes. Fueled by a cocktail of class A drugs, fury and adrenaline, an enraged Montana takes countless bullets without falling before a killer executes the coup de grace at point blank range. An inimitable last stand that perfectly symbolizes Tony's fall from grace, there are few films that can give Scar a run for its money in this regard.

3

The main duo goes out in a blaze of glory

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

Arguably cinema's most famous last stand and a sequence that ends with one of the most iconic freeze-frames in cinema history, the 1969 Western epic. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid portrays the disappearance of the titular duo in an immortal way. After the legendary bandits move to Bolivia in search of greater fortunes than America had to offer, they are eventually recognized and cornered by the Bolivian army in a courageous final stand.

Fortunately, unaware of how outnumbered they are, the pair rush out of the building where they are hiding with guns drawn, to supposedly meet their deaths. The film ends with a freeze frame of the two gunmen running into the fight as a gunshot is heard, poignantly signifying the end of one of the most iconic duos in popular culture and magnificently concluding one of the best Western films ever made. It also represents a fitting end to one of cinema's best bromances, a duo who lived and died on their own terms.

2

Miller faces a tank

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

One of the most historically accurate war films of all time, 1998 Saving Private Ryan ends with one of cinema's most visceral battle sequences; a courageous last stand with desperately high stakes as vastly outnumbered American forces defend a vital stronghold from a massive German offensive. Capping off American heroism, Tom Hanks' Captain Miller is shot while trying to blow up a bridge during the battle, leaving the film's mortally wounded protagonist face to face with an oncoming tank.

Bracing himself, the dying Miller's final act of defiance is to resolutely aim and fire his weapon at the colossal war machine. While this amounts to little more than a mouse swatting a mountain lion in practical terms, is the perfect example of courageously fighting against impossible odds. This makes it all the more enjoyable when a Mustang shows up, blowing the tank to smithereens as reinforcements arrive to save the day.

1

Boromir comes down swinging

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The cinema's last prominent stand occurs during the first chapter of Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Climate Act of 2001 The Fellowship of the Ring sees Sean Bean's Boromir come out in heroic fashion, trying to redeem a previous moment of weakness where he tried to take the Ring from Frodo by force. After taking down literally dozens of Uruk Hai defending Merry and Pippin, Sean Bean's attack is tragically felled by a hail of arrows.

Boromir's Last Stand is perfectly executed, from the spectacular shots of the Uruks marauding through the trees to the gripping way the score cuts away to be replaced by Boromir's shallow breathing. The exhilarating sight of Bean's indomitable charge, fighting to the end even after being pierced by multiple arrows, makes this a valiant kill of truly epic proportions. To this day, Boromir's fearless swan song remains the benchmark for all future cinematic resistance.