19 Ultimate Final Shoot-Outs Of Cinema History

Paul Newman and Robert Redford were the Clooney and Pitt of their day. So when the two talented (and impossibly handsome) actors teamed up in the late 60s; it was a big deal. It also helped that the movie was a stone-cold classic about legendary bank robbers that lived hard and died young in a hail of bullets.

Yet, the inevitable finale is hardly your typical Western stand-off due to the subversive script by William Goldman. A seemingly low-key exposition scene with a priority on comedy plays out as Newman and Redford sit in a dingy Mexican town square. Suddenly, a stray shot aimed at them completely changes the scenario's tone.

In a fleeting second, the entire public square has cleared out and been replaced with Mexican police throwing plenty of lead. The two are left fighting for their lives as it severely changes gears from the light-weight fun of the proceeding film, into something much heavier.

The final scene is expertly balanced in its execution as the two bicker about escaping to Australia. Both are completely aware of their fate but the dialogue speaks about the complete opposite. It creates a scene that’s both comical and quite moving underneath it all.