Man, I love me a good movie shootout. And despite their hypocrisy on guns, Hollywood often hits the dramatic target. Many gun scenes are laughable, many are decent, and some are quite good. But every once in a while, we get a scene that we watch over and over. The border scene from Sicario comes to mind. Dialogue is important to a great scene too, as you’ll see from my selections.
Some of the coolest movie lines ever come from gun scenes. “Go ahead, make my day,” anyone? Some of you “younkers” might not believe that us old Gen Xers had some good scenes in our movies too. But it’s true. So, here are five of my favorites from days gone by. Who knows, maybe I’ll turn you on to a good movie or two.
Many of you have probably seen the first three movies, maybe not the fourth, and then I’ll throw one in at the end that just cracks me up. In a good way. Keep in mind I might not necessarily think some of these five are the best, just the coolest. So, strap on your sixgun, and let’s hit it.
1. The Alley Scene from Collateral (2004)
Tom Cruise plays Vincent, an ex-special forces hitman. He hires an unwitting cab driver named Max, played by Jamie Foxx, to drive him around the city for the night. At each stop, Max waits while Vincent goes in and whacks his target. Eventually, Max learns what’s going on (in a big way) and calls Vincent out. Vincent forces Max to continue to drive him, bringing us to the alley scene.
Vincent zip ties Max’s wrists to the steering wheel while he goes in for his next job. Max calls for help, attracting the attention of some less than savory individuals who take advantage of the situation to steal his wallet and Vincent’s briefcase from the back seat. Bad idea number one.
As the thugs walk away, Vincent emerges, sees what’s happening, and yells, “Hey homie! That my briefcase?” Two of the dirtbags come back, with one pulling a Sig P232 “gangsta style” on Vincent. Bad idea number two.
Vincent lets the thug get close, sweeps the gun down, draws his HK USP .45, and double taps him from the retention. He even draws his arm back after the sweep. Before the dude even hits the ground, Vincent pivots and “Mozambiques” the other bad guy in textbook fashion.
Cruise trained intensively for the movie with former SAS Trooper Mick Gould and former LAPD SWAT guy Chic Daniel. That training is evident throughout the movie and especially in this scene. Cruise doesn’t flinch from the recoil and even allows for the falling body on the Mozambique headshot. The director’s goal was for Cruise to make all five shots in 1.5 seconds. He did it in 1.39.
Larry Vickers called it “The single best handgun gunplay scene in movie history.”
Collateral is also a fantastic movie. You owe it to yourself to check it out.
2. The Bounty Hunter Scene from The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
You know Clint Eastwood had to be here somewhere. I could have picked any number of scenes, but the dialogue in this one made the decision for me. Just in case you haven’t seen it (really?!?!) Eastwood plays Josey Wales, a former Confederate guerilla from Missouri who refuses to surrender after the Civil War. Wales is pursued by Union troops and bounty hunters into the wilds of West Texas.
A couple of those bounty hunters catch up to Wales in a one-horse town saloon, and one of them goes in after him. Bad idea number one. I won’t spoil the whole thing, but the two men speak, with Wales asking if the man is a bounty hunter. “Man’s got to do something for a living these days,” the man replies. And then we hear what I think is the greatest Clint Eastwood line ever uttered on film: “Dyin’ ain’t much of a livin’, boy.” Delivered in that Grim Reaper-like Eastwood drawl, it still gets me after countless viewings.
The bounty hunter leaves, but eventually comes back. Bad idea number two. The two men draw their 1860 Colt Army .44 Revolvers and throw down. The result is predictable, especially since Wales is called “Mr. Chain Blue Lightnin’ hisself” in an earlier scene which almost made my list. I was fortunate as a young lad to see The Outlaw Josey Wales on its theater run in 1976, and forty-six years later, it’s still my favorite Western. Bet it will be one of yours too.
3. The Doc Holliday/Johnny Ringo Gunfight from Tombstone (1993)
I know, I know. This is just too predictable. But I can’t help it. The coolest scene from one of the coolest Westerns ever made has to make the list. Dialogue was a big factor here too. When Doc (Val Kilmer) walks up to Ringo (Michael Biehn) and says, “I’m your Huckleberry,” man, that’s one of the greatest Western movie moments ever.
But it doesn’t end there. Kilmer delivers two more ice-cold lines that rank right up there. When Ringo shows surprise that Holliday had shown up in Wyatt Earp’s place, Doc drawls out, “Why Johnny Ringo…you look like somebody just walked over your grave.” Absolutely EPIC. And finally, when Ringo responds to Doc’s reminder that they share an unfinished dispute with “I was just foolin’ about,” Holliday drops a deadpan “I wasn’t.” Legendary.
You likely know the rest. The men circle one another, fingering their nickel-plated Colt .45 Single Action Army Quickdraw pistols until Doc says, “Say when.”
The movie does get part of the real Johnny Ringo’s death right. His body was discovered leaning against a tree on July 14, 1882, not far from Tombstone. He had a single gunshot wound to the head and his hand grasped his Colt. But Holliday is known to have been in Colorado at the time. Earp initially claimed credit for killing Ringo but recanted the story later. Most historians believe Ringo killed himself. Still, Tombstone is a fantastic movie that I have to watch regularly.
4. The Embassy Break-In Scene from The Final Option (1982)
Originally titled Who Dares Wins on its release in the United Kingdom, The Final Option was inspired by the real-life 1980 Special Air Service raid on the terrorist-occupied Iranian Embassy in London. Producer Euan Lloyd witnessed the raid firsthand and immediately set about making a movie with a similar theme.
Lewis Collins stars as SAS Captain Peter Skellen, who infiltrates an anti-nuke terrorist group. Skellen gets caught up in the flow when the group moves quickly on the American Ambassador’s Residence in London and has to work from the inside as the Ingram MAC 10 and Beretta submachinegun-toting terrorists threaten to kill the dignitaries, among them the American Secretary of State, unless their demands are met.
Anyway, negotiations fail, and the British government decides to send in the SAS to clean them out. The resulting ten-minute scene is probably as close as anyone has gotten to depicting such an operation and it is great fun to watch. The troopers carry HK MP5A3 submachine guns and Browning Hi-Power pistols. I saw a claim that this may have been the first large-scale film appearance for the MP5.
The front door is properly breached by blowing off the hinges with a 12-gauge Remington 870 Police Folder. The troopers also use Schermuly training grenades, which doubled as stun grenades at the time and were used by the real SAS.
There are some overly dramatic parts, like a trooper rappelling from an inside balcony and the delivery of two more who hang from a helicopter before blowing out windows with Federal M201-Z 37mm Riot Guns and making dynamic entry through the holes.
Also, the M201-Z fires tear gas or baton rounds, though the movie shows small explosions when the grenades hit, even though the two bad guys inside seemed unaffected when the troopers entered through the windows. But overall, I love it. I especially loved it as an 18-year-old, when I was one of the few in the US to see it in an actual theater.
The SAS and British Army cooperated fully with the production, no doubt adding to its authentic feel. The Ministry of Defense provided the three Westland Scout helicopters and crews and real SAS troopers rappelled from them onto the target building. Collins was chosen to play Skellen because he had actually passed the brutal SAS selection course. He was ultimately rejected for service because he had already appeared in some TV programs. The SAS felt he was too well-known. But his background makes the film more authentic.
Unfortunately, the movie isn’t available on US format DVD and the Blu-Ray version is said to be the censored TV version. I had it on VHS at one time, but you know how that goes. But it is available to rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV+, and Tubi. Several scenes can be found on YouTube, including this one.
5. The Cat Scene from The Boondock Saints (1999)
I had to include this one because I bust out laughing every time I watch it. I usually rewind it a time or two. The movie follows two Irish Catholic brothers, Connor and Murphy MacManus (Sean Patrick Flannery and Norman Reedus), who are swept into becoming avenging vigilantes who declare war on the Boston mob. Their friend Rocco (David Della Rocco) is a low-level mob runner who joins the brothers after being set up by his superiors.
While drinking and reliving a hit from earlier in the night, Rocco slams his fist down on the table, somehow setting off the Beretta 92FS laying there. The 9mm round splatters Rocco’s girlfriend’s cat all over the wall, causing great consternation amongst the boys. Rocco hilariously asks, “Is it dead?” while looking at the mass of gore on the wall.
Don’t get me wrong, I love animals and would never want to hurt a cat, but this is funny, as is the later reference to it in the sequel.
If you haven’t seen The Boondock Saints and its sequel, you really should. They’re among the best vigilante movies out there. Terribly unrealistic but tons of fun with a great cast. If you want a realistic vigilante movie, watch the excellent Harry Brown with Michael Caine.
So, there you go. My favorite badass Gen X Hollywood gun scenes as I count them today. Tomorrow will likely be different, but I’m not writing then. Hit us up in the comments on what your favorite scenes are. And don’t forget the popcorn.
