Top 10 Slow Motion Deaths in Movies



Iiin thiiis fooourth...OK, that's enough. In this fourth installment of the series, good old Rocky travels to Moscow in order to get revenge on Ivan Drago for killing his friend and mentor, Apollo Creed. Oh, and to seemingly end the Cold War by himself, but that's a whole other thing. Apollo's death scene is perhaps one of the few dramatic moments in this otherwise goofy film that actually works, and it is undoubtedly helped by the use of slow motion. It's used to great effect in the final punch, giving it that much more oomph, and lends dramatic weight to Creed's falling body.





In 2008, director Kathryn Bigelow took the world by storm with this intense masterpiece about...well, pretty much about disarming bombs, but damn did it do that well! In the riveting opening sequence, Sergeant Matthew Thompson, played brilliantly by Guy Pierce, attempts to disarm a bomb before realizing that it is unstoppable, and he runs away in fright. The shot of the bomb exploding in slow motion sends the viewer into shock and awe, and provides one of the film's many gorgeous and heart-stopping sequences. Future directors, take note. THIS is how you make a war movie.





Before this controversial film's premiere, North Korea issued a statement warning America of imminent danger if they released the film to the public, as they believed it to be a declaration of war. While we wouldn't go that far, there is no doubt that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's death is especially graphic and tantalizing. When James Franco's Dave fires a tank shell into Kim's helicopter, the resulting explosion is shown in glorious and detailed slow motion, including his hilarious skin wobble and subsequent incineration. It's gloriously violent and oh so satisfying.





In Sly's second entry on the list, he plays Gabe Walker, a rescue ranger that is enlisted to help stranded mountaineers in the Rocky Mountains. In this mesmerizing opening sequence, Gabe attempts to save Sarah, the girlfriend of his best friend Hal Tucker. Since it’s the opening scene, you expect Gabe to save her in the nick of time against the odds. But, the movie defies expectations and drops Sarah to her death, all in dramatic slow motion, allowing the viewer to relish in the shock factor. That scream would haunt our dreams for years to come.





Snape kills Dumbledore! While that particular spoiler may be old news by now, it was everywhere in the late 2000s, and this movie beautifully captured the powerful wizard's death and perfectly translated it to the big screen. After arriving back from his and Harry's trip to the zombie cave, Snape uses the Avada Kedavra curse and knocks Dumbledore off the clock tower. It's a heart-stopping moment, and the slow motion is put to perfect use to amplify the drama of the scene. We can only watch in horror as Dumbledore falls away from the camera and out of the story forever.





There's no denying that Markie's death is one of the most spectacular slow motion scenes in movie history. At this moment, Brad Pitt carries out a personal hit against Ray Liotta's Markie, and the results are show stopping. The slow motion is used beautifully, and the shots are gorgeous, including the gun's moving hammer, the falling shell, and the raindrops. If that wasn't good enough, it's also surprisingly brutal, with slow and detailed moments like the bullet opening a wound in Markie's hand and the blood splattering from his head. Never before has murder looked so beautiful.







We have to marvel at what a good slow motion sequence can do for a film. While “Dredd” was well received by critics, this final scene is pure cinematic ecstasy. After pushing Ma-Ma out of a window, viewers are treated to a dazzling sequence, full of reflective shining glass and divinely colorful shots. The slow, atmospheric music helps to flawlessly set the tone for the scene, and it proved to be a stunning sequence in a movie that critics and audiences were willing to write off as just another violent escapade at the cinema.







You can’t have a death-related list without Sean Bean. The “Lord of the Rings” films don't kill off major characters often, but when they do, the impact is heavily felt. At the end of this installment, when the fellowship is traveling to Parth Galen, they are ambushed by Uruk-hai, and their leader, Lurtz, fires multiple arrows into Boromir's chest. The scene will bring tears to your eyes due to its soft music and stirring use of slow motion, making Boromir's sacrifice and last stand that much more powerful. While Boromir had his flaws, his extraordinary send-off more than redeems him.





“Die Hard” is a true action classic, not only due to its everyman hero and realistic approach, but also due to its marvelous villain Hans Gruber, played superbly by Alan Rickman. When John McClane finally arrives to rescue his wife Holly, he sends Hans tumbling out the window. After John releases Holly's watch, we watch in morbid wonder as Hans' face slowly changes from confidence to fright as he realizes that his death is imminent. Fun fact: the wondrous effect was used by actually dropping Alan Rickman onto the safety airbag on the count of two instead of three.


Before we slowly get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.


Car Crash                                                                                                                     
“Death Proof” (2007)

Nux's Sacrifice                                                                                                                    
“Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015)

Gwen Stacy Falls to Her Death                                                                                        

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014)

Neo Rescues Morpheus                                                                                                     
“The Matrix” (1999)

Boom! Headshot                                                                                                          
“Drive” (2011)

Ricky is Assassinated                                                                                                        
“Boyz n the Hood” (1991)

One of the most parodied death scenes in film, Elias's demise is both heroic, heartbreaking, and entirely captivating to witness thanks inno small part to its use of slow motion. After Barnes tells the platoon that Elias has been killed (after shooting him himself), Elias dramatically emerges from the trees and is gunned down in front of his fellow soldiers. The music swells to epic proportions, and we watch in astonishment as Elias gets more and more wounded, eventually reaching to the heavens before succumbing to his injuries. It's truly one of the most memorable scenes in film history.




Do you agree with our list? What slow motion death scene is your favorite? For more fast-paced top tens published everyday, be sure to subscribe to Watchmojo.com.