When we're watching an awesome action movie, often the action is so exciting that we either can't or won't stop to think about the actual consequences of all that property destruction and mass murder. Of course, these sorts of movies are supposed to primarily be regarded as entertainment, apparently justifying the flippant regard to any exterior consequences of an awesome explosion or kick-ass shoot-out However, when you've seen a film enough times, it's hard not to start thinking about it on a deeper level, be it the film's philosophical content, or the sheer amount filmmakers can actually get away with by using some heroic bloodshed to pull the wool over our eyes; behind each of these excellent set-ups is a lot more suffering and tragedy than we would care to admit. Here are 10 awesome movie moments with disastrous off-screen consequences.
10. Death Proof - Lee And The Rapist
Mary Elizabeth Winstead plays Lee in Death Proof, the cute cheerleader who the gang of girls leave with Jasper as collateral while they take his 1970 Dodge Challenger out for a spin. The girls use this car to get revenge on the murderous stalker Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), yet the film ends without ever acknowledging what happens to Lee, a disturbing fact when you consider that Jasper is played by Jonathan Loughran, the very same actor who played the trucker rapist in Tarantino's Kill Bill Volume 1. Add to this the fact that Lee's friends tell Jasper that she's a porn actress, and it's the ripe set-up for Jasper to have his wicked way with her, and maybe even kill her in the aftermath. Plus, even if Jasper's a good boy, when the girls come to return the car to him, he's going to be none-too-pleased at its condition, and how, exactly, will he want to honour the collateral placed before him? In short, there's a very good chance that Lee gets raped, even killed in Death Proof, and Tarantino's all the more the master for letting the thought - intentionally or not - linger on in our minds.