8. Final Shootout - The Wild Bunch
Sam Peckinpah proved throughout his career that he could direct a shootout like nobody else, and perhaps his career-peak came with this climactic shootout from the sublime The Wild Bunch, in which the gang face off against Mexican forces. Unlike most scenes on this list, this shootout expertly mixes regular-speed footage with slow-motion, using the slower shots to accentuate the regular ones. For instance, a man is shot, and we're allowed to observe, perhaps savour the squib of blood bursting out of his side in slow-mo. Peckinpah knows exactly when to employ it and when not to (take note, Zack Snyder), using it to bracing effect when a mounted machine gun rips through some soldiers, and when explosions are detonated. The scene is extremely frantic and violent, yet these slowed-down moments help to provide a slight,
very slight respite between all the carnage while at the same time allowing us to focus on the results.