7. DiCaprio's Gets Shot In The Elevator - The Departed
Before the Departed nabbed him a best director Oscar, cinephiles worried that Martin Scorsese would never have a golden statuette to put on his mantel despite decades of creating some of the most influential and beloved films of all-time. Scorsese put their fears to bed by returning to the genre that had won him so much admiration in the first place: the crime picture. 2006's The Departed reworked the plot of the stellar Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs but retained one of the most vital components of that film's success, the shocking demise of the lead character. After having his identity as a police officer erased by a double crossing colleague played by Matt Damon, Billy (Leonardo Dicaprio) makes a desperate bid to get his identity back by arresting his nemesis. It seems like Billy has the situation under control and is about prevail when he is suddenly, and unceremoniously, shot in the head by a dirty cop. This shocking death left audiences stunned and gave this powerful tale a tragic grandiosity that cemented it as an instant classic.