Goodfellas - Stacks Gets Whacked and How Scorsese Went CGI

-You were late for your own fuckin' funeral

Boardwalk Empire premiered on Sunday and it was everything you could expect from the great Martin Scorsese. The sets, the acting, and the cinematography were all very impressive. But when it comes to the gratuitous mob violence, Martin Scorsese shines. Boardwalk Empire delivers, as the death scenes were very violent-one scene in particular involving a shotgun to the face, but there was something a little off. Something that I have noticed Scorsese has been doing ever since The Departed in 2006, a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. The CGI headshot.

Not sure what the hell I'm talking about? Take a look at the final scene from The Departed. Pay close attention, because once you see it you can't unsee....

But it wasn't always like this, before CGI took over Scorsese was the master of the unconventional headshot. From the goon that gets his face shot up by Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver to this scene great scene from Goodfellas, where Stacks(Samuel L. Jackson) gets a visit from Tommy(Joe Pesci). Scorsese loves to show us the blood splatter and we get plenty of that here. Notice the difference between this scene and the computer generated one from The Departed. Does the CGI take anything away from the story? No, but it does seem to diminish some of the gritty realism. Almost to the point where it screams out: Look! I'm animated!

Night of the Living Dead - Another One for the Fire

"Oh hai! You came back"

A lot of remakes rarely live up to their predecessors, but the 1990 colorized adaption of Night of the Living Dead does the original justice. Sure, the remake was just made because most Americans can't sit down and watch a black-and-white movie anymore, but it was made well. The film is basically a faithful retelling of the original Romero story with the benefit of better special effects, cameras, and lighting. There are a few subtle differences, particularly the ending. While the original ending was very dark and full of meaning, the remake ends on a slightly more positive note, with some ham-fisted social commentary for good measure. But watching Barbara shoot that asshole Harry in the head was the most satisfying part of the film. A great death.

Die Hard - The Execution of Mr. Takagi

Die Hard is the epitome of action films. The everyday guy, caught in a not-so-everyday situation blows everything up and saves the day. This movie made Bruce Willis immortal, as Detective John "Yippee kai yay" McClane. The film had everything: Action, humor, a memorable villain, and of course......great movie deaths. Who could forget Alan Rickman falling to his death from the top of Nakatomi Plaza. A classic. But there was one death scene that really set the tone for the rest of the film, the execution of Mr. Takagi. Not only does it set the tone of violence, but it shows us that Hans Gruber really means business.......

The New York Ripper - No Ordinary Headshot

Headshots have become so cliché, there I said it. Why does every headshot have to be in the middle of the forehead as if every shooter in the movies is a skilled marksman? And now with visual effects, all you need Adobe After Effects and a couple clicks of the mouse. Sure, it's still entertaining as hell, but where's the realism? Give me Martin Scorsese's headshot in Taxi Driver over the headshots in The Departed any day of the week. Take this scene from Lucio Fulci's The New York Ripper for example of how it's done right, a headshot that would make Dario Argento jealous.

Law Abiding Citizen - Cell Phone Scene

------Hello? *SPLAT*

The best death scene from the 2009 film Law Abiding Citizen. Judge Burch's demise was the most abrupt and satisfying. But what exactly was it that killed her? IMDB's parental guide says, "A woman is shot in the head." Meaning it was a cell phone gun that killed her. A phone that fires a single bullet when a call is received. But, other sites like Cinemorgue and Wikipedia say it was a bomb that killed her. Her phone being rigged by Shelton(Gerard Butler) to explode when she answers it. Whatever the cause, she should have let it go to voicemail.

The Godfather - Michael's Rise to Power

Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather series is filled with one iconic death scene after another. Sonny's ambush, Fredo's fishing trip, and of course.....the Moe Greene Special. But perhaps the most important death scene takes place at Louis' Restaurant, where Michael met Sollozzo and McClusky to resolve their hostilities. Important because it is Michael Corleone's first brush with the family business, THE key moment for Michael as he sacrifices everything for his family....

After Michael returns from the bathroom the tension builds. Sollozzo converses in Italian, but the film provides no subtitles because what he's saying doesn't matter. Coppola wants you to focus on Michael Corleone and his state of emotion. The tension builds further as the camera slowly zooms in on Michael, suddenly the sound of a subway train drowns everything else in the room. That's when Michael leaps to his feet and shoots Sollozzo in the forehead, killing him instantly. He quickly shoots McCluskey in the throat, and then again in the forehead. McClusky violently spasms and smashes his head on through the table as Michael flees the scene. Not only is it a great death because of what it signifies, but holy shit, he shoots him in the throat man. You don't see that too often. Michael has now taken the first step to his own downfall.

Predator - Mac's Death

Mac brings a certain level of intensity and emotional impact to the film. The supercool badass whispers every line and works his razor to death. Mac has the most depth than any of the others characters in the film. After Blain's death, he loses it and from that moment on he made it his own mission to kill what killed his best friend. From chasing the predator through the jungle singing Long Tall Sally to unloading "Ol' Painless" and leveling a good portion of the jungle. Mac might be the most underrated character in the film. Mac might also have the best death scene of the bunch. As Mac crawls under the log in hunt of the Predator, he spots three red dots on his arm. As Mac pokes his head out of his hiding spot, we get a camera shot directly behind his head before the Predator fires a plasma round and splatters his brains all over the camera lens. Classic!

American Gangster - 20 % (Frank Kills Tango)

We see just how badass Frank Lucas really is.....

Pan's Labyrith - He Wont Even Know Your Name

Sergi López doesn't get enough credit for his role as Captain Vidal in the 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth. He plays one of the most evil characters ever, a psychopath that makes us hate him so much, you start cheering during his death scene. And what a death scene it is. After Vidal finds Ofelia, he takes the baby and shoots her in the stomach. Ohhhh, that bastard. When Vidal leaves the Labyrinth, the rebels and Mercedes are waiting for him. He calmly hands Mercedes the baby and starts to request that they tell his son what time his father died. "NO", she cuts him off and says "He wont even know your name." BAM! Take that asshole!

The Proposition - Headshot

------Oh, Hai there!

A movie death is just even better when it's totally unexpected, take this scene from The Proposition for example.....

Midnight Meat Train - Hammer Time

Vinnie Jones doesn't like people riding his train. Ted Raimi didn't get the memo. Poor Ted dies in everything(Darkman, Twin Peaks, Shocker, The Grudge, Wishmaster, ect.) We salute you Ted.



UFC fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson does his best impersonation of himself and gets his ass kicked, but gives us a good show

Blue Velvet - Frank's Last Puff

Much like Jeff(James Stewart) in Rear Window, Jeffrey(Kyle MacLachlan) becomes the ultimate voyeur in the 1986 film Blue Velvet. As Frank(Dennis Hopper) storms in looking for Jeffrey, he sees the closet and laughs knowing that's where he's hiding. Frank takes one last puff of nitrous oxide and throws open the closet door. Jeffrey is waiting for him and blasts a hole through Frank's forehead, killing his instantly.

Enemy at the Gates - Headshot

König(Ed Harris) goes to inspect the body he just shot, but belatedly realizes that he has fallen into a trap. Put into a checkmate position, he pauses, removes his field cap and faces Vassili(Jude Law) before being shot down.

True Romance - The Sicilian Scene (Worley's Death)

An Epic scene between Worley(Dennis Hopper) and Vincent Coccotti(Christopher Walken) from the film True Romance. Coccotti is questioning Worley as to the whereabouts of his son. Knowing he is gonna die, Worley brings up the ancestry of the Sicilians and mocks Coccotti till he blows his lid and shoots Worley several times in the head.

Planet Terror - Headshot

Surprise!

As he looks around a corner, Abby is shot in the head, which explodes in glorious fashion.

Victim: Abby (Naveen Andrews)

Cause of Death: Headshot

Famous Last Words: "Wait Here"

Watchmen Opening - The Comedian Shot JFK

I knew it wasn't Oswald!

Even if it was for only 22 seconds, the graphic recreation of Kennedy's assassination was pretty amazing. The whole opening really sets the tone of the film and Bob Dylan's song just makes the sequence complete. In the graphic novel. It is implied that the Comedian shot JFK and possibly even Woodward and Bernstein. Snyder took the brilliant little throwaway joke and translated it onscreen. The scene was just so epic that it deserves its own post.

Compared to the Zapruder film

JFK ASSASSINATION RECREATION



There's a ton of Easter Eggs in the Watchmen opening, Did you catch Mick Jagger and David Bowie outside of Studio 54? How about the original Nite Owl saving Mr. and Mrs. Wayne? That's why Batman never existed in the "Watchmen" universe..
Go to i09.com for a look at all the awesome Easter Eggs

Burn After Reading - Surprise!

Chad (Brad Pitt) stakes out the Harry Coxes' (George Clooney) house trying to find more incriminating material. Harry however comes back, so Chad hides in the closet where Harry is getting dressed. When Harry opens the closet door it scares the hell out of him and he accidentally shoots Chad in the forehead.

Terror at the Opera - Peephole Headshot

In the most incredibly filmed scene from Terror at the Opera, Mira looking through a peephole, is greeted by a bullet gliding gracefully into her face. The shot is fantastic because the camera is slowed down to the extreme as you can see the bullet pass from the gun into the metal tunnel of the spy hole. Its not a special effects trick, it's a slow motion real time shot of a bullet being fired and looks fantastic.

C.O.D. - Headshot

Victim - Mira (Daria Nicolodi)

Assailant - Inspector Alan Santini (Urbano Barberini)

Famous Last Words - "No, not the gun. I want to see your face" --Mira

Infernal Affairs/The Departed - Rooftop/Elevator Scene Comparison

Let's get one thing straight, without the the 2002 film Infernal Affairs there would be no Departed in 2006. That being said, you have to watch The Departed as its own film and not just as a remake of Infernal Affairs.

Okay, now fast forward to the meeting on the rooftop between the mole (Matt Damon - Departed/Andy Lau - Infernal Affairs) and the undercover (Leonardo Dicaprio - Departed/Tony Leung - Infernal Affairs)

The Departed
WATCH IT HERE


Infernal Affairs
WATCH IT HERE

so, which one did you like better?

Guns and Talks - Slow-mo Sniper Headshot for the WIN

What the hell is more entertaining than a slow motion headshot? The answer is nothing, nothing is more entertaining than watching a bullet pierce through the air in all its skull-busting, instant-killing, brain splattering glory. From Johnny Tapia in Bad Boys 2 to Mr. X in Wanted, the slow-mo headshot will always be a visual treat.

Take this scene from the Korean film Guns and Talks for example. Jae-young (Jung Jae-yeong) takes out his target with a sniper shot. Boring! Am I right?! Now let's see that......in super slow-mo.

Now that's fucking entertainment!

C.O.D. - Headshot

Victim - Target #1

Assailant - Jae-young (Jung Jae-yeong)