Top 20 Movies Where the Protagonist Dies
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most memorable films that kill off a main character. This spoiler-filled list will cover movies with human protagonists only.
#20: “Road to Perdition” (2002)
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Michael Sullivan is an enforcer for the Irish Mob, but his life changes forever when his son witnesses a killing. The resulting fallout leads to the death of his wife and other child. Tom Hanks plays the protagonist as a closed-off, subtle man willing to sell his soul in order to avenge his family. In the end, he’s shot by Jude Law’s assassin before he can return fire. His final moments prevent his son from becoming a killer just like him. This selfless act makes Sullivan a sympathetic anti-hero, making for a truly underrated character and performance from Hanks.
#19: “The Prestige” (2006)
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In Christopher Nolan’s intriguing drama, magicians turn their rivalry into a deadly game. This cat-and-mouse game leads to several deaths, including Robert Angier and one of the Borden twins. The former is executed and one of the latter is hanged in a tragic conclusion that leaves the viewers in shock. With a few tricks of his own, Nolan turns this narrative into a web of manipulation, lies, and surprises. The illusionists reveal shades of gray as their lives unravel. Showing that they’ve both gone too far for their art, the characters present thought-provoking ideas in their last moments.
#18: “Léon: The Professional” (1994)
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After her family is killed, the young Mathilda becomes the unlikely protégé of assassin Léon. This later leads to a violent and suspenseful standoff between the evil agent Stansfield and the skilled hero. Fending off lots of armed men, the protagonist escapes only to be shot down by the villain. The final moments feature a surprise that allows for the injured character to take his nemesis down with him. Following the thrilling gunfights and the explosive climax, this action movie comes full circle while keeping the audience on its toes. It’s ultimately a powerful and bittersweet ending for the killer with a heart of gold.
#17: “No Country for Old Men” (2007)
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When Llewelyn Moss finds drug money, he ends up becoming the target of cartel members, an assassin, and a sheriff. His journey involves many exciting and narrow escapes from the relentless Anton Chigurh. Moss’ death is surprising on its own, but the movie goes one step further by not showing it. Sheriff Bell only stumbles on the hero’s body in a startling reveal. While some viewers might be mad at this artistic choice, it does underscore the chilling nature of the film’s violence. Rather than creating a typical Hollywood ending, this Cormac McCarthy adaptation refuses to satisfy in a brutal way.
#16: “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)
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When Frankie Dunn agrees to train Maggie Fitzgerald, he forms an unlikely bond with her that ends in tragedy. The fighter has a promising boxing run until she receives a paralyzing injury. Fitzgerald then asks her trainer for one last thing, making this one of the more heartbreaking dramas in recent memory. Dunn finally agrees to his student’s demands in a deeply-sad conclusion. While the protagonist chooses to end her life, she also leaves Clint Eastwood’s character in a complex state of grief. This Oscar-winning film becomes much more than a sports movie as it explores the meaning of life and death.
#15: “No Time to Die” (2021)
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For Daniel Craig’s last entry as James Bond, the filmmakers decided to let him go out with a bang. A villain infects the secret agent with nanobots that endanger his partner Madeleine Swann and their daughter Mathilde. Staying on an island set for destruction, Bond makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to ensure his loved ones are safe. It’s an unprecedented moment for the series that really sends off Craig’s version in style. Most blockbuster action films tend to play it safe, but this time the creators decided to alter expectations. This finale shows both 007’s vulnerability and nobility and demonstrates that the franchise is unafraid of inventive changes.
#14: “Scarface” (1983)
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From Cuban refugee to drug lord, Tony Montana’s rise is almost as violent as his fall. The epic conclusion follows the man’s comeuppance at the hands of another kingpin. With his house overrun by gunmen, Montana fends them off and delivers iconic lines in his last minutes. Some might say it’s the best part of the movie, but regardless it’s a huge moment that lets Al Pacino run wild. The main character endures so much damage that it’s incredible he lasts as long as he does. As a cautionary tale and an entertaining film, “Scarface” would be incomplete without this over-the-top death.
#13: “The Shining” (1980)
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Soon after taking over as a hotel caretaker, Jack Torrance’s life spirals out of control. He ends up going insane and attacking his family. Chasing his son through a snowy hedge maze, Torrance loses track of his prey and freezes to death. The entire scenario couldn’t be more dramatic, frightening, or suspenseful. With Stanley Kubrick’s skilled direction, the anti-hero’s every choice seems to slowly build to his exit. Jack Nicholson personifies unbridled rage and evil as his character loses all sense of self control. Helping to make this a horror classic, the protagonist’s death hammers home the story’s powerful and supernatural hook.
#12: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969)
These titular outlaws finally get to Bolivia as planned, but they find it to be far from a dreamy paradise. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s criminal activities catch up with them as the army corners the men. Realizing that they’re caught, the duo decide to go out in a blaze of glory. This prompts one of the most famous freeze-frames in cinematic history. Without showing the gory details, the director chooses to show them in their last moments with an undisputed swagger. The mythical stories of the Old West are summed up in this exciting, complicated, and deadly end.
#11: “V for Vendetta” (2005)
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To combat a totalitarian state, the rebel V fights back with a personal campaign to end corruption. He’s able to survive a hail of gunfire long enough to exact his revenge and inspire a nation to rise up. While the masked vigilante doesn’t survive his wounds, his symbolic actions ensure that the evil leaders can’t get away with their crimes any longer. The film also asserts that his philosophy is much more important than his own life. With the ending scene, “V for Vendetta” shows that the hero was just the beginning of a larger movement.
#10: “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975)
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When Randle McMurphy brings his free spirit to a mental institution, he comes up against the tyrannical Nurse Ratched. This culminates in the protagonist attacking her after the death of fellow patient Billy Bibbit. Discovering that McMurphy has been given a lobotomy as punishment, Chief Bromden ends the hero’s life before breaking out of the facility. It’s an emotional rollercoaster of an ending that produces tears and then a shred of hope. While it’s sad to see Jack Nicholson’s character in such a state, we know that he wouldn’t have wanted to live like that. You could argue that his spirit never dies, inspiring Bromden to make a triumphant escape.
#9: “Thelma & Louise” (1991)
Over the course of this film, the central duo become modern-day outlaws. They also bond and learn to stick up for themselves before the authorities catch up with them. Deciding to avoid jail time, the main characters drive off a cliff. Thelma and Louise take charge of their lives in a profound and complex statement about independence. It might be a drastic measure, but it also allows the women to fly into legend with their last seconds. Both heroes spend the entire movie defying norms until they find another way to stick it to the man. We might not condone their final act, but the power of the death scene still lingers to this day.
#8: “Logan” (2017)
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By the end of this X-Men tale, the protagonist battles his clone X-24. Hugh Jackman gives the sequence an added gravitas in one of his most beloved roles. His hero barely survives the brutal matchup with some help, but he’s also mortally wounded. Logan’s final breaths are spent with his daughter Laura in a moving conversation. Both actors sell the scene with their chemistry, giving the character’s passing the weight of an acclaimed drama. The tearful moment is even more memorable as Wolverine’s mortality finally comes into question. It might not be the last time we see Jackman play the part, but it’s still an amazing sendoff and tribute to his performance.
#7: “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967)
Following the exploits of the real criminal duo, “Bonnie and Clyde” comes to a close in spectacular fashion. The most significant part involves a police ambush against the robbers. Stopping their car to help someone, both protagonists fail to realize they’ve fallen into a trap. Director Arthur Penn stages the scene in operatic fashion as the cops unload their guns into the thieves. Shocking and violent, the sequence hasn’t lost any of its impact all these decades later. It’s both an unforgettable send off and a moment that helped change Hollywood filmmaking. The anti-heroes don’t even get another line to explain themselves, instead dying in one of the most famous endings of the 1960s.
#6: “The Sixth Sense” (1999)
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M. Night Shyamalan’s breakthrough movie “The Sixth Sense” still features one of the best twists ever. While it looks like Bruce Willis’ Malcolm Crowe is alive, the end reveals that he’s been dead the whole time. It turns out that he didn’t survive the shooting at the start. Turning the plot on its head, Shyamalan forces Crowe to confront his status as a ghost. Willis helps to hammer home this devastating moment in some of the best acting of his career. Rather than hurting the film’s rewatchability, the surprise enriches every subsequent viewing and deepens the lead character’s journey.
#5: “The Departed” (2006)
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Undercover cop William Costigan finally finds and confronts the mole Colin Sullivan on a rooftop. Preparing to bring him in, the heroic officer suffers a sudden and cold end. This gunshot and the violence that follows only underscores the unexpected nature of this story. Given that Costigan is played by Leonardo DiCaprio, you’d expect him to save the day and survive. Director Martin Scorsese lulls the audience into a false sense of security before pulling the rug out from under them. This startling death can’t be overstated, casting a shadow over this crazy plot that ends with one more surprise.
#4: “Saving Private Ryan” (1998)
Captain Miller and his men finally find Private Ryan, but they must defend a bridge before bringing the latter home. The ensuing battle leads to massive casualties and the shooting of Miller before reinforcements come. In his dying moments, the officer gives Ryan an inspirational phrase to carry with him forever. Tom Hanks and Matt Damon bring this beautiful moment home with their subtle performances. It might be sad to see Hanks’ character go, but he does get a perfect ending to his incredible journey. Steven Spielberg’s expert direction also makes this feel like a statement about every fallen soldier in WWII.
#3: “Gladiator” (2000)
Betrayed and turned into a gladiator, Maximus Decimus Meridius finally gets a chance to avenge the death of his wife and son in a public match against the evil emperor Commodus. The villain then wounds his opponent before their fight in the Colosseum. Even though Maximus defeats the emperor, he succumbs to his wounds in a dramatic finish. The moving scene features the protagonist’s last words and the heavenly visuals of his spiritual transition. In a quiet and beautiful moment, director Ridley Scott ends the movie by exploring the main character’s deepest thoughts. The Oscar-winning film then makes sure that viewers come away mourning the loss and happy that the fighter finds peace.
#2: “Psycho” (1960)
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Having stolen money from her employer, Marion Crane runs away but stops at the Bates Motel. While there, she takes a shower and has a run-in with hotel owner Norman Bates. Alfred Hitchcock arguably topped himself with this sequence, showcasing some of the most famous directing and editing of its era. The sequence itself is iconic, but its impact on the film is nothing short of monumental. Crane dies just when her story begins and then the movie shifts perspectives and priorities. Some may argue that Crane is not the film’s actual protagonist, but few cinematic deaths have ever been so surprising, inspiring generations of filmmakers to rethink their stories.
#1: “Titanic” (1997)
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Featuring one of the most talked-about deaths ever, “Titanic” tells a fictional love story alongside a real tragedy. Jack and Rose fall for each other and attempt to survive the ocean-liner’s sinking. Leonardo DiCaprio’s hero lets his partner float to safety on a door, sacrificing himself and freezing to death in the sea. The much-debated scene still tugs at the heartstrings, preventing the two from ever continuing their romance. It’s incredibly tragic and yet it also makes the movie that much more interesting. There’s a reason that this film remains as an all-time favorite, daring to kill off a lovable character and creating a dramatic choice for the ages.
