4. Dragonheart - Draco's Sacrifice
Draco is the last of the dragons. Man has hunted his species to the brink of extinction and none did it better or with more gusto than legendary dragon killer, Bowen (Dennis Quaid). Why? Because in an act of kindness, a dragon gave the dying king Einon a piece of his heart and healed him back to health. Einon then went on to be the most tyrannical ruler ever and Bowen believed the dragon's heart corrupted him and swore to slay every dragon as a result. Throughout the film, Draco and Bowen become firm friends and Bowen realises he was wrong to have acted the way he did and that Einon was evil by nature. However, due to the dragon heart in his chest, Einon is immortal as long as Draco is alive. In the film's climax, Draco realises that Einon lives because he does too and so begs Bowen to kill him. Naturally, Bowen refuses, and so Draco is left with no choice but to attack his friend. At first Bowen refuses to strike back but ultimately knows that he must. And so, as Draco opens his chest and exposes his heart, Bowen reluctantly throws his axe and slays his best friend and the last remaining dragon. It isn't so much that Draco dies but the circumstances around it. It's a touching scene, where one sacrifices himself for the greater good. It is the end of a loyal friendship but it also emboldens that bond and marks it out as special and unique. It's also full of regret - from Draco for saving the king, from both Bowen and Draco for having been at odds for so many years, to Bowen for having to now kill his best friend, and for having wiped out the dragons so that none will remain to continue Draco's legacy. That Draco has to revert to being the vicious creature Bowen first thought he was in order to induce his own death, and that Bowen is both horrified at the change but also understands why, left a major imprint on me. One almost as powerful as the next scene on my list.