20 Greatest Movie Moments Of The 2010s

The finest the silver screen had to offer this past decade...

By Robin Baxter /

Today's cinema is frequently described as poor quality and it's true that the 2010s might seem like a weak decade for cinema at first glance. After all, there have been a lot of stinkers.

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Nevertheless, it mustn't be forgotten that this past decade has actually given us many great films that prove there's plenty of hope for the film industry yet, and with them have come many brilliant, unforgettable movie moments.

With the 2010s done and dusted, it's a great time to look back on the finest scenes of the decade and celebrate what was a far better decade for cinema than you might think.

Also, with the Coronavirus crisis in full swing and film after film being delayed, it's certainly a time to try and look on the positive side of things...

Honorable Mentions: First Reformed's ending, the skull scene in Django Unchained, the flashback in Manchester By the Sea, the hanging in 12 Years a Slave, the prison fight in The Raid 2, the argument in Marriage Story, the family reconciliation in Inside Out, Andy's farewell in Toy Story 3, the ending of Black Swan and Furious 7's beautiful tribute to Paul Walker.

20. Hereditary: Charlie's Death

It's safe to say that no-one whatsoever saw this coming.

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Thanks to Hereditary's ingenious marketing, Charlie (Milly Shapiro) was widely expected to be one of Hereditary's main characters... but she was then decapitated in a car accident about half an hour into the movie. Er... what?

Not only is this a completely shocking moment to the point where most probably thought it was a fake-out death at first, but it's a generally brilliant bit of horror film-making. Ari Aster, despite this being his first feature, directs this scene with the impeccable skill you'd normally expect to see from a directing veteran with decades of experience and the absolutely amazing acting from Toni Collette (who should've won Best Actress but wasn't even nominated) makes this a harrowing depiction of bereavement and grief.

It's an intensely sad sequence where you'll want to look away, especially when That graphic close-up of Charlie's severed head appears on-screen, but it's nigh-on impossible to do so.

Hereditary isn't a great film (although it's certainly a good one) thanks to its painfully bad final act but it did still deliver one of this decade's greatest death scenes.

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