[SIZE=small]Shootout Rankings[/SIZE]
I didn't have this category to start with, and the criteria was fairly simple ("anything goes, realism counts"). But I took realism within the context of the film (sorry, but the awesome Matrix shootout is ranking high). As far as "anything goes", 24 of you took a shootout in the classic sense, and one guy took D-Day... errr, ok. It's either a brilliant 25 pointer, or it's last. Being that 24 of you saw the criteria and still took a "real" shootout, guess which it is.
These are more or less how much I liked them - I comment some on technical merit or dull or whatnot, but don't read too much into it (no "but you said this about the 3 pointer, but your 20 pointer does it too"). Some surprises, but in general terms, the high picks did well.
Not going to break these up into 4 posts - here's the whole ball of wax:
1 point – Opening to Saving Private Ryan
I didn’t make the criteria, but a battle isn’t a shootout in the classic sense.
2 Points – A Fistful of Dollars
I hate to do this to Clint and Sergio, but this is a terrible shootout. I saw this as a kid, and even then was thinking “why not shoot his head, or legs?”
3 points - High Noon
A “classic” old-time western shootout… the problem is, most classic old time western shootouts were terrible. In judging, I try to look back within the context of the time period, but in this case, Hollywood really had a lot to learn. For an old western, I’d have preferred Shane or even Cat Ballou’s short gunfights (sp?)
4 Points – Silence of the Lambs
Not so much a great shootout as it is 3 minutes of listening to Jodi Foster’s heavy breathing. And not in the good way.
5 Points – The Mission
What could have been a really interesting gunfight got ruined by everyone prettymuch “posing” with their guns in classic gunfight positions. Whether they were covering an area or not, it looked a bit silly.
6 Points – Road to Perdition
I agree with the drafter that it’s a beautifully composed scene, in an excellently-filmed movie. But it isn’t a great shootout.
7 Points – The Wild Bunch
I like the movie a lot, but standing alone, besides from being “huge”, this gunfight just doesn’t stand up. The editing is terrible, the sound is poor… it’s a mess, really.
8 Points - McCabe and Mrs. Miller
I get that it’s a more of a tense cat and mouse thing than big shootout, and it works well for what it is. But it’s still fairly dull.
9 Points – The Untouchables stairway shootout
Was this a guilty pleasure pick? I think it was taken pretty high, but in comparison to most of this list, it’s really a silly-looking shootout. Gets some love for cool tommy guns, though.
10 Points – Boondock Saints
Fun and silly. Very silly. But still fun. Did I mention it was silly?
11 Points – Miller’s Crossing
More Tommy guns!! Fun little scene – nothing wrong with an 11 here.
12 Points – Equilibrium
It’s good, but it suffers a bit from being a bit over the top (and not in a good way), and, let’s face it, it also suffers from Matrix comparisons.
13 points – Collateral
It’s tense, and it’s effective. This is where it belongs.
14 points – Matewan
This is based on a true story, but in real life, they probably fired less bullets. Dusty, dirty “the whole town is involved” shootout. I like it.
15 Points - Unforgiven
I like this scene, and if you watch the whole movie, it’s even more powerful. But I’m judging just the gunfight, and while it’s a great scene in a great movie, it could have been edited a lot better. Very sloppy.
16 Points - LA Confidential
Fun shootout scene in a good movie. Can’t say much more about it – just fun to watch.
17 Points – The way of the gun
Does everything well.
18 points – Clear and Present Danger
I really like this scene. Very realistic, gritty, not over the top – just an effective shootout with CIA being ambushed by terrorists.
19 Points – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Yes, they hold off the entire Bolivian army, but it’s really a lot of fun watching them do it.
20 Points – Open Range (my pick)
I love this gunfight, especially the way it starts, where Costner just wipes out the dude who was setup to be the invincible opposite. Only problem I have with it is it goes on and on. But it’s still probably the most realistic western gunfight ever.
21 Points – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Miles better than the other Spaghetti Western picked. Classic scene by Sergio Leone
22 Points – Desperado Bar Scene
What a fun scene this is. Very underrated series of movies
23 Points – Scarface
Classic scene spawns an iconic line.
24 Points - The Matrix
This series of films got really, really silly, and somewhat makes us forget how ridiculously cool The Matrix really was. This was an incredible gunfight / action sequence, and worthy of this slot.
25 Points – Heat
Easily the best gunfight ever put to film. Excellent in every way. Small note – the drive-in gunfight would have finished pretty high too.