Die Hard (1988)
A moment of perfect peak era Bruce Willis-ness, which happens without the actor ever being onscreen.
Bruce’s hideaway cop is fighting back against Hans Gruber’s Christmastime terrorist siege, downing a gunman, nabbing his shooter, and leaving this cheeky message. “Now I have a machine gun… Ho Ho Ho.”
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
In an epic packed with several smart touches (Tom Sizemore packing the Normandy sand into his bag) and it’s fair share of schmaltz (oh, that ending) the standout moment remains the deadly shooting of Private Jackson, who prays over his bolt action rifle like an angel of death gazing fatefully upon the world.
There Will Be Blood (2008)
The fury of Daniel Plainview in the film’s vengeful final moments remains deeply shocking – the purity of the hatred, the depth of the vindictiveness. The rage builds and overflows, and at some point through the disbelief we realise it won’t stop short of murder.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Pretty much by definition there are few films that reach the standard of cool set by The Big Lebowski. Pinning down a specific instance of cool can be tough, though, and many of you voted simply for the Dude’s very existence.
But for our money the moment that sums him up best is the final chat with Sam Elliott’s barfly. “Yeah, well, The Dude abides...”
Out Of Sight (1998)
Steven Soderbergh takes a sub-Tarantino crime script and turns it into an electric dance between two charged leads.
Here the movie’s key scene – Clooney and Lopez seducing each other – is collapsed into fragmented glimpses of before and after, their pre-kiss conversation cut to hotel room undressing and ending on a freeze-frame kiss.
Con Air (1997)
Nic Cage’s paroled ex-Army Ranger is rumbled by one of the badasses that have taken over a prisoner transportation plane. Cage confronts the con, but is more concerned about the manhandling of the bunny he’s bought for the daughter he’s never met than the danger of his exposure.
Star Wars A New Hope (1977)
“I know” might be galactic heart-throb Han Solo’s most celebrated line, but as voted by you lot this is his coolest.
Harrison Ford brings a much needed splash of humour to Lucas’ earnest space epic trying to explain away the massacre of a stormtrooper squad (“Everything’s fine here, now… How are you?”) before blasting the console with a classic one-liner.
Mad Max (1979)
The brutal opening to George Miller’s rough-road classic has highway outlaw The Nighttrider taunting Max’s highway patrol team over the radio (“I'm a fuel injected suicide machine!”) before meeting his match in the man himself.
The Karate Kid (1984)
“So Mr Miagi, I’ve painted the fence and I’m waxed your car and I’ve drawn up the plans for that loft extension you asked for. Can you stop Johnny Haircut from kicking my teeth in now?” Is was Daniel is thinking at the two-thirds point of this high-kicking ‘80s classic.
And then Mr Miagi reveals – through the learning tool of punches and screaming – that he has been teaching him all along.
Batman Begins (2005)
Origin story deftly dealt with, the end of Christopher Nolan’s explosive reboot of Batman deals its ace card – or rather its Joker. As dramatic chords swell behind Gordon and Batman’s rooftop meeting, Gordon produces evidence from what will be the Dark Knight’s next case…
