The 5 Best Movie Death Scenes That Made Me Cry

Just trying to choose the 5 best scenes almost had me in tears.  I made my final agonizing choice of the 5th scene mere moments before posting this article.  Everyone has a death scene that moves them - these are my personal picks for scenes that moved me the most, all of which do so because of the actor's performance, the quality of the film, and the music that captures the moment.
*For obvious reasons, there are spoilers.*

A Tale of Two Cities (1935).  Ronald Colman's incredible performance breathed life into Dickens' tragic hero, Sidney Carton, an intelligent, disillusioned man living a purposeless life. Sydney finds his purpose in sacrificing that life for the love and friends he found too late.  He goes to his death on the guillotine at the savage time of the French revolution knowing that he will be cherished in death as he never was in life.

"It's a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done.

It's a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known."



The Ox-Bow Incident (1943).  An unusual western, this is the only truly great movie that had such an effect on me, I cannot watch it over and over as I do with other greats.  Henry Fonda plays Gil, a just and caring man.  Gil finds himself involved with a vengeful posse which takes the law into its own hands.  The group of men capture and decide the fate of three innocent men whom they believe to be rustlers, and Gil watches in horror as the posse evolves into a lynch mob. In the final scene, set in a saloon to which the posse has returned, Gil reads aloud a letter written by one of the hanged men (Dana Andrews) to his wife and children.  The scene is movie-making at its most powerful.



"This is only slightly any of your business my friend."
"Hangin' is any man's business that's around!"

Titanic (1953).  Out of many movies made about the Titanic, this is my favorite. Casting is superb, headed by Clifton Webb and Barbara Stanwyck as Richard and Julia, a wealthy estranged couple, bitterly divided over their lifestyle and that of their children.  Strong writing and wonderful actors create a group of memorable characters, including feisty Molly Brown (Thelma Ritter), the Captain who mourns the fate of his ship and passengers (Brian Aherne), an immigrant family saved by Richard, a young defrocked priest (Richard Basehart) who risks his life to save workers below decks, a college student (Robert Wagner) who loves Richard and Julia's daughter.  As the ship sinks, Richard's young son Norman climbs out of the lifeboat as it is lowered, and goes to find his father.  Julia discovers his absence too late, and is inconsolable.  To the tune of "Nearer My God To Thee", Richard and Norman stand together.


"I thought I should stay with the men, sir,

I'm wearing long trousers now."

"I guess that makes you a man.  I've been proud of you

every day of your life.  I feel tall as a mountain."

Midnight Cowboy (1969).  John Voight as Joe Buck and Dustin Hoffman as Ratso Rizzo are two of life's outcasts, one a true country innocent lost in New York, with ambitions of which he has no real understanding, the other a street-wise, lonely and very sick little man invisible to the uncaring crowds around him.  They find each other and their need begins a friendship.  But Joe's naive idea of seducing rich women and living high is a failure.  The men are eventually homeless, cold and hungry.  Rizzo has advanced tuberculosis, and his one dream is Florida, where it is always warm and sunny, and his damaged lungs would heal.  Desperation and fear for his friend drives Joe to beat a man and steal his money.  He and Rizzo, full of hope, board a bus to Florida.  But Rizzo doesn't make it.  As the bus draws closer to their dream home, Rizzo seems to be sleeping in the seat next to Joe.  The bus driver stops and comes to the back of the bus.  He sees that Rizzo is not just sick, but has died.  He kindly tells Joe that they are close to Miami and will finish the last couple of miles.  Joe holds Rizzo close as the bus reaches their promised land.

Driver:  "Do you want to close his eyes?"

Joe:  "What?"

Driver:  "Close his eyes."

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. (1975).  R.P. McMurphy (brilliantly played by Jack Nicholson) believes acting crazy will get him into a hospital psych ward, which sounds much better than jail.  He is crazy, but not insane.  He is charming, immoral, in and out of jail for petty crime, and loves to live his life as a free spirit.  He finds himself in a ward with neurotic men who voluntarily stay in the hospital.  It doesn't take Mac long to stir up the men who are just hiding from the world, encourage them to get out and take life by the throat, live as men.  But the ward is run by a cruel, controlling  woman, every patient's nightmare, Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher).  She is determined to break Mac's spirit, and he is equally determined to break her iron grasp.  Mac becomes close friends with the Chief, a giant of a man who pretends to be mute and tells no one of his soul-destroyed life, except McMurphy.  "What are doing in here, Chief? Huh? What's us two guys doing in this ... place.  Let's get out of here. Out."  But after Nurse Ratched's cruel treatment causes the suicide of Mac's young friend Billy (Brad Dourif), she finally gets her wish.  Enraged, Mac tries to kill her, and is dragged out of the ward.  He is gone for weeks, and the men have created a legend about him escaping the bonds and being free.  One night, he is brought back to the sleeping ward and put into a bed.  The Chief is overjoyed and goes to McMurphy's bed.

"Mac, they said you escaped.  I knew you wouldn't leave

without me.  I was waiting for you.  Now we can make it Mac. 

I feel big as a damn mountain."  He embraces Mac,

but Mac's head lolls side to side, his eyes dead, his mind destroyed. 

The Chief sees the scars of lobotomy on his forehead.  "Oh no. 

I'm not going without you, Mac.  I wouldn't leave you this way.

You're coming with me."  The Chief smothers Mac with a pillow

and gently lays him down.  "Let's go."  The powerful man

then breaks a barred window and runs to freedom.

I had runner-up scenes to mention, but I'd rather hear what has moved you in the movies you have seen.