25 Greatest Film Deaths This Century

Before he ever got let loose on the two big Star franchises, sci-fi specialist J.J. Abrams was making his mark on a somewhat more down-to-earth film series, with Mission: Impossible III.

Abrams doesn’t exactly do things lowkey, and the opening mission, which sees retired IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) step back into the field on a special mission to find and rescue his protégé Lindsey Farris (Keri Russell) from the clutches of malevolent arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), is proof of that. Hunt and his team race against the clock to extract Lindsey and escape a small army in their chopper, weaving through a wind farm while attempting to deactivate the explosive pellet implanted in her head.

So, when Lindsey’s death arrives, it catches us all off guard. Ethan, our true-blue hero, does not save the day, and the death itself is the quietest thing in the loud and fast-paced scene. The quick, quiet thwip of the charge contrasts everything that has come before and gives a tragic, heart-rending finality to the scene, coming just seconds before Ethan’s defib is charged and ready to short the pellet.

As if that wasn’t enough, Lindsey’s battered face and jumbled eyes provide a haunting visual that sticks with you, and one of a type the Mission: Impossible films don’t normally trade in.