10 More Best Movie Characters Who Only Appear In ONE Scene

David Cronenberg's A History of Violence is a superbly crafted thriller from top to bottom, but perhaps never better than when William Hurt shows up for one mesmeric 10-minute scene right at the end of the film.

Hurt, who received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance, plays crime boss Richie Cusack, who also happens to be the brother of protagonist Joey (Viggo Mortensen).

In this lengthy scene, Richie switches from warm and jovial to utterly menacing in a blink, explaining to Joey the problems his volatile past have caused his own criminal operations, before ordering his lackeys to kill Joey.

But Joey puts his special skills to good use and fights back, offing all of Richie's cronies before shooting Richie dead point blank, allowing him to return to his family life.

It's not a majorly flashy role, but Hurt does an excellent job introducing a mobster character who skirts cliches and has very understandable motivations for wanting his own brother dead.