3. Captain Miller - Saving Private Ryan
DreamWorks Pictures
The Line: "James, earn this. Earn it."
How He Dies: Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks) is in the heat of combat, attempting to blow up a bridge when he is shot through the chest by a German soldier. After unloading his gun into an approaching Tiger tank, which is subsequently blown up by an Allied air strike, American reinforcements arrive and drive the Germans back, but sadly, it's too late for Miller. Private Ryan (Matt Damon), whose task it has been for Miller to rescue, is with him when he dies, and Miller demands that Ryan earn the life he has been given by the sacrifice of Miller and his men. It's a simple but deeply touching moment, as Ryan surely never forgot Miller's last words, symbolised by the movie's final scene, as an elderly Ryan asks his wife if he has lived a good life worthy of the sacrifices made in his name. This brilliant line no doubt helped Hanks secure an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for the part, and Robert Rodat also scooped a Best Original Screenplay nod.