12 Fantastic Films You Only Remember For One Scene

6. Oldboy - Eating A Live Octopus

Having spent the last fifteen years imprisoned in a hotel room, Oh Dae-Su (Choi Min-sik) bursts back into the real world ready for revenge. But first, he stops at a sushi restaurant and stuffs a live octopus down his throat. With an expression torn somewhere between anger and sorrow, he picks the poor creature off his plate, bites its head clean off with an almighty squelch, wraps its body around his fingers and tries to shovel it down in one go. All of which comes as a shock to the chef (Kang Hye-jung), who isn't quite sure if she should look impressed. With its tentacles still writhing across Dae-Su's face, the octopus finally gives in- its unique contribution to cinema all but secured. Incidentally, four octopodes were required for this scene- with Min-sik, a Buddhist, saying a prayer for each one that found its way into his stomach. Much to fans' disappointment (but, presumably, PETA's relief) Ang Lee chose not to recreate this culinary curio for his 2013 remake- instead allowing protagonist Josh Brolin a knowing glance towards a squid swimming in a fish tank. That's knowing to us, by the way, not the squid.