I have a theory about testing sociopaths. If you want to determine whether or not a person is an irredeemable sociopath, don't evaluate them with a smattering of intense, psychological evaluations and clinical procedures. Just have them sit down and watch The Iron Giant. If they don't reach for a tissue when the titular giant robot sacrifices himself to save his nine-year-old friend from certain death...then you've got your answer. This fake out is one of the most emotionally devastating on the list, in no small part because The Iron Giant, at its core, is about a relationship between a boy and his robot that's as pure as the first snowfall of winter. The entire movie is just a series of misunderstandings between the military and the giant robot who fell from outer space and crashed into a small town in Maine. Though he proves himself harmless to the little boy who finds him (and that little boy's family), the military will have none of it. Due to some real boneheaded "intelligence," the military ends up launching a missile that will not only destroy the robot, but also wipe out the entire town. The giant sacrifices himself for the boy and his family, flying off into space to take the missile head-on. The town is saved, but the boy's heart is shattered. But days later, the boy, who'd been holding onto a small piece of the robot that fell back to earth after his sacrifice, notices the part begin to shake. Earlier in the film, the robot had shown his ability to "self-repair," a process that involved him telekinetically bringing his stray parts back together. The boy smiles, knowing his "Su-per-man" is still alive.
