Top 10 Terrifying Held at Gunpoint Scenes

If you want to assassinate an unhinged gangster, you’d better not screw it up. That’s exactly what drug dealer Frank Lopez and dirty cop Mel Bernstein learn when they try and fail to whack Tony Montana. After escaping from the attempted hit relatively unscathed, Tony pays Frank a surprise visit at his car dealership. Expecting Tony to be dead, Mel and Frank can do nothing but beg to be spared. Tony’s cold fury makes him an intimidating presence, and his victims’ pitiful attempts to bargain for their lives almost make you feel sorry for them. This may be one of Tony’s more subdued moments, but that doesn’t make it any less frightening.

Pop quiz, hot shot: How many times has Keanu Reeves fired a gun in his career? Ok, that question is a bit unfair, but one of the most memorable times he’s fired a weapon is in this action-packed thriller. Reeves plays LAPD explosives expert Jack Traven, who’s forced to match wits with self-proclaimed “eccentric” bomber Howard Payne, played with insane glee by Dennis Hopper. When Payne takes Traven’s partner, Harry, hostage and threatens to blow up the building, Traven’s forced into a sticky situation. Luckily, Harry gives him some choice advice. The creative, surprising solution turns the hostage situation on its head. The look on Payne’s face is priceless, although Harry is less than thrilled.

Director John Woo’s no stranger to guns, as demonstrated in movies like “Hard Boiled”. But one of his tensest scenes comes near the end of “The Killer.” After a furious gun battle in a church that features tons of death, destruction, and doves, cowardly mob boss Wong Hoi takes Jennie, a blind singer and friend of professional killer Ah Jong, and puts a gun to her head. Unwilling to let an innocent woman get hurt, Ah Jong and Li, his cop friend, momentarily surrender. A temporary respite from all the bloodshed that preceded it, the scene shows that sometimes, even hitmen can avoid violence, if it means protecting someone they love. Only sometimes, though…

If a gun goes off in the forest and there’s no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? In this Coen brother’s neo-noir, that’s exactly what Tom Reagan finds out. Tom is forced to prove his loyalty to local gangsters by taking lowlife “Bernie” Bernbaum out to the titular woods in order to kill him. The only problems: Tom doesn’t have an appetite for murder, and Bernie frantically pleads for his life the entire time. The fact that both Tom and Bernie’s lives are on the line, as well as Bernie’s pathetic, but poignant speech, makes this one hike you won’t soon forget.

Perhaps the most weirdly positive example in this list, Tyler Durden gives us a scary example of how to properly motivate someone in David Fincher’s cult classic dark comedy. After running into college dropout Raymond K. Hessel, Tyler pulls a gun on the man and tells him he’s going to die, seemingly for no reason. Once he learns that Raymond once dreamed of being a veterinarian, Tyler gives the poor man an ultimatum. Raymond agrees, and Tyler lets him go. What starts off as tense and seemingly random act of violence becomes a funny and, in a way, life affirming act. Who needs Tony Robbins when you’ve got Tyler Durden?

If there’s one thing to take away from Guy Ritchie’s crime capers, it’s that most criminals are dumb. And nobody is more aware of this than tough guy bounty hunter Bullet-Tooth Tony. When a gang of wannabe thugs think they can get the drop on him with some fake guns, Tony swiftly puts them into place with a speech that’s as eloquently delivered as it is badass and funny. Tony’s deadpan delivery only emphasizes the absurdity of what he’s saying. The thugs’ reaction to finding out they’re screwed is both hilarious and, in the long run, probably the smartest thing they could’ve done. It’s too bad the other characters don’t share Tony’s knowledge of firearms.

It may be hard to make Tommy Lee Jones laugh, but it’s even harder to make him scared. Jones plays U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard, the man tasked with finding and capturing fugitive doctor Richard Kimble, played by Harrison Ford. Early on, Gerard pursues Kimble through a series of storm drains, and after slipping in some water, he loses track of his gun, only for Kimble to find it. With the tables turned, Kimble lets Gerard know that he’s innocent. Unfortunately for the good doctor, Gerard has other thoughts on the matter. Even though Kimble is the hero, it’s hard not to root for someone who’s literally indifferent in the face of danger.

Murder is a dish best served cold, and preferably with Big Kahuna Burger or a delicious breakfast. In “Pulp Fiction”, Samuel L. Jackson is positively biblical in his performance as Jules, a hitman with aspirations of being the world’s most terrifying preacher. Nowhere is this more evident than the scene where Jules and his partner Vincent pay a visit to Brett in order to retrieve a briefcase for their boss. Jules starts the meeting off cordially enough, even politely asking for a taste of Brett’s food. But things get apocalyptic when Jules busts out his favorite bible passage. Darkly comedic, impressive, and scary all at once, this is one sermon that’ll definitely stay with you.

Package delivery for Mr. Mills. A grungy crime film centered around the seven deadly sins, “SE7EN” isn’t exactly filled with sunshine and rainbows. The ending, in which Detective Mills holds serial killer John Doe at gunpoint, is especially deranged. Just as Mills and his partner Somerset think they’ve captured Doe and put an end to his crimes, a delivery truck appears. Doe explains to Mills that the package is meant for him, and then proceeds to describe how jealous he was of Mills’ marriage to his wife Tracy. As the control of the scene switches from Mills to Doe, Mills’ breakdown and Doe’s unnerving calm will make you feel sick in the best way possible.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Highly Trained Killer
“From Russia with Love” (1963)

Two McFlys With the Same Gun
“Back to the Future Part II” (1989)

Mark it Zero, Dude
“The Big Lebowski” (1998)

Clint Eastwood has made a career out of saying awesome things while pointing guns at people, like in “Sudden Impact”. But nothing beats his endlessly quotable speech from “Dirty Harry,” which is so cool it actually shows up in the film twice. The first time is after Harry single-handedly thwarts a bank robbery, and has one of the robbers dead to rights. The second is after a heated gunfight with the abhorrent serial killer, Scorpio. Both scenes are gritty, suspenseful, and prove one thing: you don’t wanna be on the wrong side of Harry’s gun barrel.