Audiences don’t usually cry at action movies. The goal is to pull viewers to the edge of their seats with exciting set pieces, not bring them to tears. But just because a movie has explosions and chases doesn’t mean it can’t resonate on an emotional level as well. In fact, the dangerous situations action heroes find themselves in lend themselves to a vulnerability that the public can connect with. From the death of Goose to the death of John Wick’s puppy to Brian O’Conner’s final race with Dom Toretto, plenty of tear-jerking action movie moments have broken the hearts of fans.
In countless generic revenge thrillers, gangsters kill an assassin’s entire family to motivate his vengeful rage. In John Wick‘s ingenious incendiary incident, the titular killer is inspired to return to a life of violence by the brutal murder of the puppy left behind by his late wife. The public is much more heartbroken by the death of a cute dog than any number of people. After John’s dog is killed, fans stand behind his brutal carnage. They don’t care how many people he has to kill to bring that dog to justice. Even the grittiest of viewers are devastated by the shot of John cradling the corpse of the only thing left in the world that gave him any semblance of happiness.
“I now know why you’re crying, but it’s something I can never do.” At the heartbreaking peak of Terminator 2To ensure that Skynet can never rebel and destroy the human race, the T-800, which spent the film protecting John Connor, lowers itself into a vat of molten steel. John begs him not to go, but he has no choice. Some cynical fans found the thumbs up a bit corny, but more optimistic viewers are deeply moved by the Terminator’s sacrifice.
This scene is the perfect solution to the father-son dynamics of the T-800 with John. The cyborg had to smell itself to save humanity, but in the last moments it lets John know that he’s managed to learn to sense him. Not only is James Cameron’s sequel bigger, bolder and more exciting than its predecessor; it’s also more emotionally engaging.
Natalie Portman made her acting debut as a preteen hit man in Leon: the professional. Portman has nailed the action movie badassery, but she’s also nailed the complicated emotions of a 12-year-old who lost her entire family. After being orphaned by sadistic DEA agent Norman Stansfield, Mathilda returns home to find her parents and all her siblings dead in a horrific massacre. With nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to, she goes to her neighbor Léon’s door, screaming for help. Reluctantly, he takes her in and trains her as his protégé in the trade of contract murder, allowing her to take revenge for her devastating loss.
Original from Tony Scott Top Gun offers a perfect blend of explosive military action and moving melodrama. Critics accused Top Gun from being thinly veiled naval propaganda — and it didn’t help that the U.S. Navy reportedly sent recruiters to theaters to sign up adrenaline-filled fans en route to the movies — but above all, it’s a heartbreaking tale of friendship. The dogfights may glorify warfare, but at the heart of the story is Maverick’s undying love for his wingman and best friend, Goose.
In the film’s most shocking scene, Maverick loses Goose in a dogfight that has gone horribly wrong. As they fall into the water, Maverick cradles his friend’s lifeless body, still in shock. Top Gun remembered as the pinnacle of ’80s cheese, but there’s nothing cheesy about this scene; it’s harrowing.
When Paul Walker Tragically Died While Filming Furious 7, the script had to be drastically rewritten. Rather than just reworking the story to make Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, less prominent, Fast & Furious team took it one step further and reworked the entire film as a heartfelt tribute to the late actor. Given the obstacles facing the filmmakers, Furious 7 more beautiful could not have been addressed.
Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again,” written especially for the film as a salute to Walker, plays on the soundtrack as Dom and Brian compete in a final street race. There is no dry eye in the audience as Brian turns off the highway and says goodbye to his brother. Furious 7 made for the perfect farewell to both the beloved actor and his beloved character, and would have been a fitting ending to the whole Fast & Furious saga if Universal didn’t have dollar signs in its eyes.
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