20 Most Perfect Scenes In Cinema History

Jaws, the first real Hollywood blockbuster, succeeds as well it does for a variety of reasons - not least because the prop sharks didn’t actually work as intended, leading Spielberg to change tack. Instead of a monster movie, this would be a stalk-and-slash thriller.

At least, that’s become the most prevalent reading of Jaws over the ensuing years. It’s no coincidence that generations of film fans have named the shark after the movie, after all: it’s a murderer, and the film a precursor to the slasher movies of the late seventies and eighties.

In this landmark scene, hapless protagonist Brody, smart-mouthed oceanographer Hooper and grizzled shark hunter Quint have taken to the sea together to hunt the sinister beast down. Drunkenly bonding, the three clashing personalities finally begin to gel as they find common ground together.

Robert Shaw’s Indianapolis speech is rightly considered one of the best monologues in cinema, delivered by one of Hollywood’s top character actors in the scene-stealing role of a lifetime. As it stands, the moment is near perfect: but the cherry on the top is the denouement.

As the monster hunters relax, their guard down, the killer comes for them. It’s almost as if it knows...