20 Most Iconic Movie Deaths Of All Time
11. Sonny Corleone - The Godfather (1972)
Underboss and heir apparent to the Corleone empire, wild-tempered loose cannon Sonny's aggressive nature gets the best of him as he is mercilessly gunned down in spectacular fashion as he races to the aid of his sister after she is beaten by her husband, in a cold-blooded set up orchestrated by Emilio Barzini.
Sure, they could have shot him once in the head to get the desired results, but having your enemy mercilessly slaughtered and riddled with bullets sends a much stronger message.
James Caan was understandably nervous during the shooting of the scene as he was rigged with no less than 149 squibs, which was a record at the time. Luckily, Francis Ford Coppola had four cameras rolling simultaneously to capture the footage in one take, creating one of the defining moments of the Godfather trilogy in the process.