A Fate Worse Than Death (spoilers)
by fcolli | created - 27 May 2013 | updated - 26 Jun 2019 | PublicThe death penalty does not deter crime, according to comparisons between states which have one and states that do not. Nor does it deter movie bad guys – how many mooks, heavies, and arch-villains have been terminated by James Bond, only to have a new set appear in the next film? I greatly prefer it when the evil-doer is still breathing at the end of the movie, but has the opportunity to contemplate the futility of a life of crime. Following are some good examples of cinema just desserts, but, obviously, every one is a spoiler.
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1. The Duellists (1977)
PG | 100 min | Drama, War
France, 1801. Due to a minor perceived slight, mild-mannered Lieutenant d'Hubert is forced into a duel with hot-headed irrational Lieutenant Feraud. The disagreement ultimately results in scores of duels spanning several years.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox
Votes: 26,712 | Gross: $0.20M
At the climax, Feraud tells D'Hubert, "Kill me!" D'Hubert then explains what he has in mind for Feraud.
2. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
R | 142 min | Drama
Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler
Votes: 2,888,294 | Gross: $28.34M
Boggs. Also, Captain Hadley presumably ended up in prison.
3. Cape Fear (1962)
Passed | 106 min | Drama, Thriller
A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail.
Director: J. Lee Thompson | Stars: Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin
Votes: 31,881
At the end, Bowden taunts Max Cady at gunpoint with the prospect of rotting in prison. One of the many reasons why the original was much better than the remake.
4. Aladdin (1992)
G | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A kind-hearted street urchin and a power-hungry Grand Vizier vie for a magic lamp that has the power to make their deepest wishes come true.
Directors: Ron Clements, John Musker | Stars: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman
Votes: 466,778 | Gross: $217.35M
Jafar ends up with an "itty-bitty living space."
5. Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
R | 137 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
The Bride continues her quest of vengeance against her former boss and lover Bill, the reclusive bouncer Budd, and the treacherous, one-eyed Elle.
Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah
Votes: 805,385 | Gross: $66.21M
One-eyed Elle Driver loses her other eye!
6. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)
R | 119 min | Drama, Romance
A scheming widow and her manipulative ex-lover make a bet regarding the corruption of a recently married woman.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Swoosie Kurtz
Votes: 75,131 | Gross: $34.70M
Arrogant Marquise Isabelle de Merteuil is booed by everyone else at the theater when she enters her box seat.
7. Company of Killers (1970 TV Movie)
G | 84 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A gunman working for a crime ring is hunted by both the police and his employers after a cop is murdered.
Director: Jerry Thorpe | Stars: Van Johnson, Ray Milland, John Saxon, Clu Gulager
Votes: 92
Ruthless businessman Owen Brady is left blubbering with fright after an attempt to murder him is thwarted.
8. Cool Hand Luke (1967)
GP | 127 min | Crime, Drama
A laid-back Southern man is sentenced to two years in a rural prison, but refuses to conform.
Director: Stuart Rosenberg | Stars: Paul Newman, George Kennedy, Strother Martin, J.D. Cannon
Votes: 188,511 | Gross: $16.22M
Boss Godfrey’s trademark sunglasses get run over by the ambulance carrying the dead, but smiling, Luke.
9. An Innocent Man (1989)
R | 113 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A man is framed by two corrupt cops for drugs. After he gets out of prison, he comes after them.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Tom Selleck, F. Murray Abraham, Laila Robins, David Rasche
Votes: 7,645 | Gross: $20.05M
Mike Parnell ends up in the same prison that his frame-up victim, Jimmie Rainwood, was paroled from.
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
PG | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Four teenage mutant ninja turtles emerge from the shadows to protect New York City from a gang of criminal ninjas.
Director: Steve Barron | Stars: Judith Hoag, Elias Koteas, Josh Pais, David Forman
Votes: 104,822 | Gross: $135.27M
Splinter taunts Shredder that he will die without honor, then tosses him into a dumpster.
11. Iron Man (2008)
PG-13 | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.
Director: Jon Favreau | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges
Votes: 1,124,751 | Gross: $318.41M
Iron Man spares the guerrilla leader's life, turning him over to the villagers who had just been terrorized by him, telling them "He's all yours."
12. Battlefield Earth (2000)
PG-13 | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
It's the year 3000 A.D., and the Earth is lost to the alien race of Psychlos. Humanity is enslaved by these gold-thirsty tyrants, who are unaware that their 'man-animals' are about to ignite the rebellion of a lifetime.
Director: Roger Christian | Stars: John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, Barry Pepper, Kim Coates
Votes: 83,089 | Gross: $21.47M
Terl ends up with only one hand, and in a cell. Worse, Ker, his former flunky, is his jailer.
13. Barry Lyndon (1975)
PG | 185 min | Adventure, Drama, War
An Irish rogue wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's aristocratic position in 18th-century England.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger
Votes: 183,044
Lyndon ends up with a generous pension, but loses one leg after a duel with his stepson.
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