The 1990s marked the history of cinema on many levels, but concerning the outstanding deaths of the seventh art, certain films of this generation are totally out of category as their stagings left their mark.
How do you know that a film is excellent? The quality of its script, the acting of its characters, the power of the special effects… Certainly, but it's not just that. Death in the cinema is often passed over in silence, or quickly sent. But it happens that in certain films, these scenes mark the spirit, as much by their sadness as by their violence. A look back at 7 cult dead films from the 1990s.
Approaching asteroid? End of the world in perspective? Need help saving humanity? Don't panic, the gang of Bruce Willis a.k.a Harry Stamper is coming to Armageddon to fix the situation, by implanting a nuclear bomb in the alien rock. If the film is striking with its extraordinary special effects, which still make Michael Bay's work a reference today, it is the sacrifice scene of our dear Bruce Willis that will mark the generation. His saving act, a smile on his lips, will allow humanity to exist again. Classy, right?
In 1994, Robert Zemeckis unveiled his dramatic comedy Forrest Gump . If the performance of Tom Hanks is masterful, those of the secondary actors will be just as much. From the famous Lieutenant Dan to his wife Jenny, everyone will have their moment of glory in the film. But there is one who will mark fans more with his simplicity and candid humor:Bubba.
Forrest's best friend, if not his only friend, will teach him everything about shrimp but will die in his arms during the Vietnam War. The calm scene contrasts with the belligerent reality of the situation."I want to go home, Forrest" will be Bubba's last words.
We find Tom Hanks in a darker role this time, with The Green Line . That of Paul Edgecomb, a head guard of a penitentiary in the 1930s. Will arrive in his block, the colossus John Coffey, couple designated for a child murder. History will teach us that he is the unfortunate innocent of these infanticides. But, despite his supernatural powers, and the will of the guards to free him, he will decide to die in the electric chair. The scene of his execution, seen through the tearful eyes of all, and especially ours, will remain one of the saddest in cinema.
It's a bit THE film of the 1990s. In 1997, James Cameron offered us a monument in the history of cinema, thus romanticizing the tragic story of the "unsinkable" Titanic . During the trip, the public discovers the young Jack, brilliantly played by Leonardo DiCaprio, trying to win the heart of Rose (Kate Winslet). A love will then be born, in the midst of one of the greatest industrial tragedies of the 20th century, marked by the heartbreaking death of Jack in the arctic cold.
There had to be a French film in this tragic ranking! Leon , directed in 1994 by Luc Besson will tell the life of a serial killer, the famous "cleaner" named Léon (Jean Reno). He will take under his wing, and despite himself, the young Mathilda (Natalie Portman), with whom he will have a moving paternal relationship. But the hell of Leon's world will lead him to his downfall, and his sacrifice scene facing the terrible corrupt policeman (Gary Oldman), will grant cinema one of the saddest deaths of the 1990s.
Kevin Spacey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. With such a cast, David Fincher had no choice but to lay a classic with Se7en in 1995. This is the story of a serial killer who will implement assassinations based on the famous deadly sins. The ending scene, with the famous box and the anger of the detective played by Pitt, will go down as one of the strongest deaths of those years. Over 25 years, the film remains a monument.
Half in black and white, the other in color. A neo-Nazi gang and a terrible death scene. This is what the excellent American History X offers us. by Tony Kaye released in 1998. A direct plunge into the heart of a xenophobic, racist and limitless America. The killing of a young burglar at the beginning of the film on a sidewalk, by Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), will shock much of the audience of the time.
