15 Greatest Ending Lines In Film History

For all its revelatory action sequences and special effects, monster horror trappings and high body count, King Kong is first and foremost a tragedy.

Throughout the film, Kong is treated as the villain by the men who venture onto his island, a threat that needs to be destroyed or exploited for profit. As they attempt to capture the beast, he falls in love with actress Ann Darrow, and proves to be no more than an affectionate creature who wants to be left alone.

All of this leads to the film's famous final moments, when he barrels through the streets of New York looking for Darrow, scales the Empire State Building, and is subsequently shot down by attacking planes. But as his captor Carl Denham laments before the credits start to roll:

“Oh, no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.”

Ultimately, Kong wasn't killed by the bullets, but by his preserving love for a woman which inadvertently made him a danger. In the end, he was the most painfully human character in the film.