20 Most Important Film Deaths This Decade

TV as a medium has made substantial leaps over the last decade in terms of catching up with cinema, though it's still hard to contend with the feeling of witnessing an epic, big-screen death for the first time. Plenty of movies have tried to push our buttons and forge an all-time, historic death sequence, though few films have actually succeeded. Creating a memorable, artistic or downright emotional movie death requires a perfect convergence of writing, direction and acting, though it would be a mistake to assume that just because a death scene is memorable or important, that this means that it's also actually good. There are, in fact, a number of rather lame or unsavoury deaths in this list, ones which serve as a reminder of how anti-climaxes can irk audiences, and poor creative decisions can severely dent a franchise forever more. Also, remember that MAJOR SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW for many major, popular films from the last 10 years. In the case of one very recent movie, we have included an additional spoiler warning ahead of that page.

20. Bill - Kill Bill Volume 2 (2004)

Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill remains one of his most purely entertaining movies, a riotous work of pastiche that's action-packed, hilarious, and left us eagerly anticipating the concluding chapter, in which Uma Thurman's Bride would presumably put her murderous adversary Bill down once and for all. Kill Bill Volume 2 is a very different beast to its predecessor: with a slower pace and more dialogue-driven narrative, it felt far more like a typical Tarantino film, though still delivered brief spurts of violence and action here and there. Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for, the final showdown between The Bride (now known by her real name, Beatrix Kiddo) and Bill. They sit at a table talking for a few minutes, before the fight finally begins, and Beatrix promptly loses her sword. However, she reacts quickly, and delivers the infamous Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique to Bill's chest, the legendary finishing move that had apparently been secretly taught to her by the Pai Mei. After a brief chat, the two make an uneasy peace, and Bill takes five steps to his doom, as his heart explodes within his chest and he collapses. The death proved to be wildly divisive among fans: marketing materials had made it seem as though the two would have an epic swordfight by showing brief clips from the start of their fight, when in fact, this accounts for just a few seconds of the movie. On the other hand, would watching Uma take on a guy several decades older than her really be all that fun anyway? It's a very Tarantino move, and on greater reflection, an awesome and unforgettable death for Bill.