10 Best "All Hope Is Lost" Moments In Movie History
9. Agent Smith Kills Neo - The Matrix
Given how much Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) drills into the audience his steadfast belief that Neo (Keanu Reeves) is The One - the prophesised anomaly who will free humanity from The Matrix - it's a genuine shock when, in the third act, Neo gets caught short by Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving).
While attempting to escape the Matrix after helping Morpheus and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) flee, Neo opens a door only to be met by Smith, who promptly shoots him twice.
As Neo falls back towards the wall, gravely wounded, we figure he might now manifest his full potential as The One and fight back, but no, Smith simply unloads the rest of his clip into Neo, killing him.
It's a genuinely shocking "Oh s**t" moment, hammered home by even Morpheus expressing disbelief that the man he threw all his faith behind is now dead.
But of course, that's not the end of the story - Trinity reveals that the Oracle (Gloria Foster) told her she'd fall in love with The One, and so when she professes her love for Neo with a smooch, he surges back to life, before harnessing his newfound powers to defeat Smith.
For a moment there, though, it was pure despair.