12 Film Characters Whose Deaths Came Out Of Nowhere

4. Patches O'Houlihan (Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story)

patches Following a surprise victory for the Average Joe's dodgeball team, the titular no-hopers are primed for their Las Vegas Final. It's a feat that team captain Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn) attributes to their trainer, the elderly ADAA (that's the American Dodgeball Association of America) legend Patches O'Houlihan. As his team strolls across a casino floor, he reassures them that ''As long as we've got Patches, we've got a shot''. Cue a slot machine sign (called, naturally 'Luck Of The Irish') to fall from its fittings and land directly upon poor Patches. There's a Final Destination-style sense of foreboding in that this scene opened with the camera on the sign- and La Fleur's line was a shameless comedy set-up- but seriously? Death by falling fruit-machine sign? What are the odds of that happening?
 
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Yorkshireman (hence the surname). Often spotted sacrificing sleep and sanity for the annual Leeds International Film Festival. For a sample of (fairly) recent film reviews, please visit whatsnottoblog.wordpress.com.