20 Most Iconic Movie Deaths Of All Time

5. Cody Jarrett - White Heat (1949)

Quint Jaws Death
Warner Bros.

James Cagney's first gangster movie in ten years saw the actor take on the role of ruthless criminal Arthur 'Cody' Jarrett in the classic film noir White Heat. The role that saw the actor give what was arguably the best performance of his distinguished career, not to mention an ending that features both one of cinema's greatest death scenes and one of its most memorable quotes.

Given his somewhat-unsettling attachment to his mother, Cody understandably completely loses his sh*t when he finds out in prison that 'Ma' is dead, which leads to his escape from incarceration. During his attempt to steal the payroll from a chemical plant Cody finds himself surrounded by the police, and decides to shuffle off from his mortal coil in glorious fashion. Wounded and resigned to his fate, Cody retreats to a gas storage tank and shoots it, bellowing 'Made it, Ma! Top of the world!' before the tanks erupt into a massive fireball.

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