These antiheroes laid down their lives for love, greed, or just plain arrogance. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the films featuring an antihero protagonist who dies.
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00:00Well I'm Miss Bonnie Parker and this here's Mr. Clyde Barrow. We rob banks.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the films featuring an
00:11anti-hero protagonist who dies. So naturally, spoilers ahead.
00:21Number 10. John Wick Chapter 4. And the only way John Wick will ever have freedom
00:27or peace now or ever is in death. I know. The fourth outing featuring the legendary
00:37titular assassin takes John Wick on a last lethal odyssey to escape his violent underworld.
00:42Baba Yaga must kill his way across several cities all with the goal of reaching a duel
00:47that will finally set him free. Although this confrontation does have John kill his opponent,
00:52he himself also dies from his wounds. To be perfectly honest, we'd love to rank this higher.
01:05The action set pieces are incredible throughout with some of the best fight scenes of the last
01:09decade. However, we're still not entirely certain that John's actually dead. If this
01:15is his end though, it's one fantastic send-off. What do you think he is? Heaven or hell?
01:27Who knows? Number 9. V for Vendetta. You have to understand, Evie, I didn't want this for either
01:33of us but I couldn't see any other way. You were unconscious and I had to make a decision.
01:37If I'd left you there right now, you'd be in one of Creedy's interrogation cells.
01:42They'd imprison you, torture you, and in all probability kill you in the pursuit of finding me.
01:47Set in a dystopian version of the United Kingdom, V for Vendetta follows a vigilante revolutionary
01:53known only as V. The masked man recruits a young woman named Evie to his cause while also seeking
01:59revenge on the people responsible for the current regime and the cruel experiments performed on him.
02:04As rebellion builds due to V's actions, he's finally faced with the last of those on his list.
02:10You won't cry like him, will you? You're not afraid of death. You're like me. The only thing
02:15that you and I have in common, Mr. Creedy, is we're both about to die. How do you imagine that's
02:22going to happen? With my hands around your neck. Despite taking a hail of bullets, V manages to
02:28fight through all his attackers to kill his final target. Dying in Evie's arms, V is laid to rest
02:33with one last explosive bit of revolution. V for Vendetta is a compelling political thriller whose
02:39lead character has become emblematic of those dissatisfied with the status quo. Here's you
02:47and me. Here's all of us.
02:54Number 8. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Look, if we'd been in business during the
02:59California gold rush, where would we have gone? California, right? All right, so when I say
03:03Bolivia, you just think California. The eponymous leads of this classic western buddy film seem to
03:08live life from one misadventure to another. After a bank robbery gone wrong, the two of them find
03:14themselves pursued relentlessly by the law in the United States. Unfortunately, even fleeing to
03:19Bolivia and attempting to go straight doesn't bring an end to their troubles. Eventually, the duo are
03:25cornered by the Bolivian army with no way out, and their fatal last stand is an iconic part of cinema.
03:31When we get outside, when we get to the horses, just remember one thing.
03:40Hey, wait a minute. While the titular rogues may not survive, their charming personalities
03:45and excellent chemistry have helped make this one of the most beloved westerns ever made.
03:50How good. For a moment there, I thought we were in trouble.
04:05Number 7. No Country for Old Men A gritty neo-western thriller,
04:09No Country for Old Men features hunter Lou Allen Moss stumbling upon a suitcase full of money
04:14left behind by drug dealers. He keeps the money out of greed, but soon finds himself pursued
04:19by the implacable, terrifying hitman, Anton Chigurh. Moss manages to wound Chigurh and escape
04:41into Mexico briefly. However, ultimately, he meets his end at the hands of the dealers pursuing the
04:46money. Fraught with tension, incredible cinematography, and featuring one of the
04:58greatest villains ever to grace the silver screen, No Country for Old Men may leave some
05:03unsatisfied with its conclusion, but the journey is impeccable.
05:06Number 6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
05:30Randall McMurphy gets himself committed to a psychiatric institution by pretending to be
05:34insane to avoid a prison sentence. However, he soon finds that this asylum is a hellish place.
05:40The tyrannical nurse Ratched makes his life, and everyone else's on the ward, dark and miserable.
05:56His battle of wills against her nearly ends with McMurphy killing the deranged nurse.
06:01However, McMurphy is ultimately lobotomized, leading to his friend Chief euthanizing him out
06:06of respect and empathy. Mixing dark comedy, tragedy, and a timeless story of rebellion
06:11against cruel authority, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest hits hard on all fronts.
06:19Number 5. Logan
06:31A gritty take on a superhero film, Logan follows a tired and worn-down Wolverine.
06:39Logan is brought out of retirement when his clone daughter Laura arrives on his doorstep,
06:43forcing him and an elderly Charles Xavier to help Laura escape her pursuers.
06:55Following many heartbreaking moments, Logan makes one final stand to help Laura and several
07:00other mutant children escape. The immortal X-Man dies at last, still a hero.
07:15This movie beautifully blends elements of a western into the superhero genre,
07:18and provides an emotional swan song to one of the longest-running on-screen superheroes.
07:24Number 4. Thelma and Louise
07:27The two women who lend this film their names are friends who find themselves in a whole heap
07:31of trouble. After Louise kills a man to protect her friend, the duo go on the run towards Mexico.
07:39As they commit more crimes while on the run, the heat on them continues,
07:43until they're cornered at the Grand Canyon. Rather than surrender,
07:49Thelma and Louise keep going by driving off the side of a nearby cliff.
07:57While the ultimate destination of this classic road movie is a tragic one,
08:03Thelma and Louise's feminist odyssey is a journey well worth witnessing.
08:08Number 3. The Departed
08:10Billy Costigan is a police officer asked to infiltrate the Boston criminal gang of
08:27Frank Costello. At the same time, Costello has Colin Sullivan spying for him from inside the police.
08:40Each seeks to uncover the other's identity as the police close in on Costello. Costigan
08:52finally does figure out who Sullivan is, though he's left without much support. Unfortunately,
08:57he's killed abruptly before he can bring Sullivan in. The Departed is a twist and
09:01suspense-filled crime film with an absolutely stacked cast who deliver fantastic performances.
09:07And to be fair to our anti-hero protagonist, he's far from the only unexpected body to drop
09:13in this movie. Number 2. Scarface
09:18The quintessential rise and fall of a gangster movie, Scarface focuses on Tony Montana. The
09:38Cuban refugee arrives in America penniless, but manages to work his way up in the business in
09:43Miami. Tony's rise sees him indulge in excess and make plenty of enemies along the way.
10:04Said enemies eventually arrive on his doorstep to take him down in a hail of gunfire. Not that Tony
10:09makes it easy for them. Scarface is one of the greatest gangster movies ever made, and Tony
10:14Montana is one of cinema's greatest anti-heroes. Because even as we can't help but root for his
10:19success, his actions are overwhelmingly abhorrent. Before we unveil our top pick,
10:28here are a few honorable mentions. Watchmen. Rorschach's quest for the truth leads to his
10:33death. Road to Perdition. Michael Sullivan is an enforcer who wants a better life for his son.
10:51Leon the Professional. Hitman with a heart of gold goes out with a bang.
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11:31Number 1. Bonnie and Clyde.
11:33A landmark film fictionalizing the lives of real outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker,
11:51Bonnie and Clyde sees the duo travel the central United States while robbing stores and banks
11:56alike. Their exploits marked a turning point in the romanticization of criminals,
12:16both in real life and later when the film debuted. Ultimately in the film and in reality,
12:21the law caught up with the couple, ambushing them and gunning them down in one of cinema's most
12:25infamously violent scenes. Bonnie and Clyde left a considerable impact in its use of antiheroes
12:31as its leads. The duo's greatest caper may have been stealing the hearts of moviegoers everywhere.
12:42What other antiheroes should be on this list? Tell us in the comments.
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