50 Greatest Movie Scenes Ever

16. Boulder Chase - Raiders Of The Lost Ark

Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Paramount Pictures

The opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark is about as great an introduction to a new action hero as we're ever likely to see. From Indiana Jones replacing the golden idol, it's a thrilling, funny sequence that's bursting with character, and it only gets better once that boulder starts a-rolling.

Having survived the crumbling building and the poison darts, Indy hears a rumbling and turns, horrified, to see a huge boulder coming right towards him. The shot of that giant rock looming out of nowhere and coming right upon him, and us, is thrilling, and from there we get to see the hero lose any semblance of cool in favour of just running for his life.

It's not only exhilarating, but expertly sets up who Indy is: a daring adventurer like few we've seen before, but also someone who'll get by with the help of a lot of plain dumb luck too.

[JH]

15. Milkshake - There Will Be Blood

There Will Be Blood Daniel Day Lewis Paul Dano
Miramax Films

"I. Drink. Your. Milkshake. I drink it up!"

You'll be hard pressed to find a better on-screen duo than Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Dano from the past two decades. The two elevate Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood to a whole other level, with the toxic relationship between Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview and Dano's Eli Sunday reaching boiling point in the film's bloody, violent final moments.

Returning to a broken, alcoholic Daniel in an attempt to con him out of money, Eli breaks down in Plainview's lavish bowling alley when he can't sell his land to the oil baron. In a bout of mental torture, Daniel forces Eli to renounce his faith, before berating him for the death of his brother, and acting out how he's stolen his last chance at prosperity right from under him.

The mental torture turns into physical torture, as Daniel, manic, throws Eli across the room and beats him to death despite his victim's pleas for forgiveness. By this point, Day-Lewis has become almost animalistic, shuffling along the bowling alley, frothing from the mouth and bellowing "I am the Third Revelation!".

It's a very easy scene to parody, but in context, it captures a whirlwind of intensity unlike anything else.

[JB]

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