10 War Movie Plot Twists That Nobody Saw Coming

Across a diverse range of genres and roles, John Wayne's party trick was to triumphantly ride off into the sunset after saving the day. The American film icon garnered such a reputation for doing precisely that in one form or another that it usually came as a legitimate shock whenever one of Wayne's characters actually bit the dust onscreen.

There is perhaps no better example of this status quo than 1949's Sands of Iwo Jima. Allan Dwan's offering is one of the most lauded war films of all time, starring Wayne in the leading role of Sergeant John Stryker. One of the American's most iconic characters, Stryker is a hard-as-nails disciplinarian - initially despised by his men, the members of his squad soon come to appreciate his methods amidst the heat of battle.

Even if Wayne's cinematic charges had made dying more of a habit, Stryker's formidable aura of toughness means that it still comes as an almighty surprise when he is shown to be just as mortal as anybody else. As the squad enjoy a brief lull in the fighting, John is suddenly shot and killed by a Japanese soldier in a stupefying twist for the ages.

The fact it's the seemingly indestructible John Wayne is just the icing on the cake.