There is a scene in Taxi Driver that Scorcese himself considers to be the most important scene in the movie. It’s when De Niro is on the phone with Cybill Shepherd, trying desparately to win back her affections. He is so utterly pathetic that during the conversation, the camera pans away from De Niro and instead films an empty hallway. The whole time, we can still hear De Niro stumbling through this painful conversation. The scene epitomizes how alienated De Niro’s Travis Bickle feels- even the audience isn’t allowed to identify with him. Absolutley brilliant.
-Pink destroys his room in The Wall. (One of My Turns, thats the song, right? bitchin.)
-Ed Norton at the dinner table in American History X.
-Ben Stiller gets his dick caught in his zipper in Theres Something About Mary
The Russian Roulette scene from the Deer Hunter. When DeNiro and Walken have to play each other. They put three bullets in the gun and kill all the VC. Best line - “you’re gonna die you mother fuckers, awww you’re gonna die!”
Just about every scene in both the first and the second Godfather!!! I saw them on DVD the other day! Talk about standing the test of time!
Hey Bronx Bomber unless I misunderstood your quote on Full Metal Jacket, it’s not Joker pointing the rifle at the drill sergeant, it’s Private Pile as he shoots his brains onto the wall in a little bit.
Also, you have to add the scene in Apocalypse Now where are the helicopters are storming in to Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries.
Predator - Best scene ever - the end of the movie when Arnold goes commando on the predator.
you’re right. It is Pile (vincent D’onefrio). Joker’s looking around like someone just snatched his balls off (which, in that situation, I think I would too).
One of the best scenes has to be the last 6 minutes (approximately) of “The Last of the Mohicans” (the most recent one with Daniel Day Lewis). I wouldn’t believe it either, but I would say it possibly could be the best. Check it out.
Any scene where Samuel L. Jackson talks in Pulp Fiction.
- Pheobe Cates climbs out of the pool in Fast Times at Ridgemont High … 2) Seven - Brad Pitt shoots Kevin Spacey in the head after learning what was in the package… 3) Slapshot - any scene involving the Hanson brothers… 4) Tombstone - trapped by the Cowboys, Kurt Russel says fuck it and walks into the middle of the gunfight and starts blowing them away… 5) Dirty Harry’s “This is a 44 magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world…” speech … 6) Goodfellas - Joe Pesci wants to know why you think he’s so funny… 7) Scarface - “Say chello to mi lil fren”
The scene in “The Limey” where Wilson gets the snot pounded out of him by three big guys and they leave him on the pavement. All three go back into the building they just threw him out of. He stands up, back to the camera, and reaches…nahh, I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it.
Everyone has missed this one:
The scene in Platoon when Elias is running from about 20 VC after that bastard (can’t remember his name, the guy with the scar) shoots him and says he’s dead, and the choppers fly away. And then he gets shot in the back, kneeling down, arms spread while the rescue choppers try and save him.
excellent choice, my fellow Tmonger…but check my post earlier on in this thread. what a classic scene…Elias was tougher than a 30 year old piece of jerky…
Now that I found my post (thanks to Chris S) here are some more, the car chase in The French Connection, going down the dam in Universal Soldier, the laser sword fight in Star Wars, the first time you saw the shark in Jaws.
Chasing Amy - not exactly a Testosterone fueled movie, but the guy DOES take a lesbian and converts her to the light side of the force. That’s gotta be the ultimate t-man act, right? 
People seem to have forgotten about Bruce Lee. He “kept it real” way before wires and special effects. He showed us speed, power, charisma and what “shredded” meant before the word probably entered bodybuilding lexicon…My submission(s):
- Bruce vs. Chuck in the collosseum - this duel to the death between two great gladiators -when you watch it again- deserves to be the benchmark of hand to hand combat scenes
- Bruce vs. Kareem - Bruce fights his 7’2" student and shows us that grappling - that’s fucking right - can be used against bigger opponents
- Enter the Dragon - Many spectacular fight scenes with Bruce nearing his prime…Unfortunately, none of us ever got to see him reach his actual prime. FYI, in Enter, he shows us grappling, his jeet kune do, and splendid introduction to western audiences of Filipino and Japanese weapons.
Peace!
I agree with Weapon’s X’s pick in “Goodfellas.” Joe Pesci going, “Funny how? Like clown? Do I amuse you?” The weird combination of tension and black humor was just too cool.
Loved Tombstone,how anorexic and wasted was Doc Holliday yet still tough enough to take his bros back.Although not crazy about The Patriot theres a scene in there where Mel Gibson with his two young sons watching/helping has a fielday on a group of redcoats(no offense to any brits & none were actually harmed in the making of this movie)Theres also a quick scene following the path of a cannonball as it severs limbs and decapitates someone to give you an eerie affirmation that battle has been and always will be horrific.
Pulp Fiction - Jules and Jimmie talking
when Jules and Vincent pull up with the
remains of Marvin in the car - Jimmie: Now let me ask you a question, Jules. When you drove in here, did you notice a sign out in front that said, “Dead nigger storage”? Jules: Jimmie… Jimmie: Answer the question! Did you see a sign out in front of my house that said “Dead nigger storage”? Jules: Naw man, I didn’t. Jimmie: You know why you didn’t see that sign? Jules: Why? Jimmie: ‘Cause storin’ dead niggers ain’t my fuckin’ business! That
has to be a classic set of dialogue. Or the
other scene there before they shoot that
Brett guy - Vincent Vega: And you know what they call a … a … a Quarter Pounder with cheese in Paris? Jules: They don’t call it a Quarter Pounder with cheese? Vincent Vega: No man, they got the metric system. They wouldn’t know what the fuck a Quarter Pounder is. Jules: Then what do they call it? Vincent Vega: They call it a “Royale” with cheese. Jules: A “Royale” with cheese! What do they call a Big Mac? Vincent Vega: A Big Mac’s a Big Mac, but they call it “le Big-Mac”. Jules: “Le Big-Mac”! Ha ha ha ha! What do they call a Whopper? Vincent Vega: I dunno, I didn’t go into Burger King. Pulp Fiction
was a defining moment in theater for me. Brock
I’d also have to say, Stanley Kubrick’s “A
Clockwork Orange” rates high on my list too.
Saw it again last night, the language is
just too cool. Towards the end, when
Alec is in the hospital “recovering” from the
government’s “treatment” and the shrink is
reviewing the pictures with him and
there is that one picture of a guy and a naked
girl and Alec says, “uhhhh…my minds a
blank, I’ll smash your face”!!! Then there
was the scene where he just makes fun of that
guy Dim in the lobby of his apartment
building. One of the most disturbing
commentaries on criminal justice ever!!! A
must see classic. Come and get one in
the yarbles!!! Brock