When people talk about stuff in movies that had impact, most people would point to some giant battle sequence or outstanding special effects. While those elements of a movie can and do have some impact on an audience, it’s often the characters that make those moments impactful. But for me, some of the most impactful moments in movies don’t involve action at all. No, in fact, these moments are very character-oriented, because its the characters that drive the story forward and have the most emotional impact. I’ve got a selection of moments here that while they may not appear to mean much on the surface, there’s actually quite a bit going on. So, this post is going to be quite a bit less bombastic than some of the other lists that I’ve done. Also, there may be spoilers. Reader discretion is advised.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: “Let it go.”
This one happens towards the end of the film just after Elsa falls to her death. Indy tries to reach the grail on an outcropping while his father is trying to hold on. Then, he says, “Indiana. Indiana. Let it go.” There’s a lot that’s happening here from an emotional standpoint. Henry, Indy’s father, reconnects with his son by calling by his chosen name, which is Indiana. What’s really important is that Henry is telling Indy to let the grail go. Considering that Henry had spent most of his life searching for this thing, telling Indy to let it go has a real profound effect on Indy. If Henry could give up his obsession with an artifact, then Indy could, too. The entire movie was about Indy’s search for his father, not the grail, and this moment is the reconciliation that both characters needed.
Jaws – Dinner Scene
Jaws is loaded to the hilt with iconic moments, especially Quint’s Indianapolis speech. But for me, one of the best moments of the film is this little scene in which Brody’s youngest son imitates him. Good writing sometimes involves something being said without actually saying it. This little back-and-forth between father and son is one of the most heartwarming scenes I’ve ever seen. You can absolutely understand that these two love each other but they don’t actually say it. This scene would be imitated later in the 4th movie, but it doesn’t have the same kind of emotional weight that this one does. There’s a lot that Brody’s going through, emotionally, but seeing his youngest imitate him helps break that ice.
Star Wars – Binary Sunset
In the category of not needing to say anything, we’ve got one of the most iconic scenes in Star Wars. Luke was just told by his uncle that he needed to stay for another year while Luke wanted to join his friends at the Imperial Academy. We see Luke staring at Tattooine’s twin suns while John Williams score is blaring. We see Luke’s face and we feel what he’s feeling. He feels trapped, yet his eyes are always on the horizon. It’s something that many of us sympathize with. Unbeknownst to Luke, destiny was right around the corner. Again, no dialogue was necessary to convey an emotion here.
Casablanca – “Here’s looking at you, kid.”
Speaking of iconic, we have the ending to the legendary Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. I don’t know what else can be said of this brilliant movie. It’s one of my favorite movies ever, and this final scene between Rick Blaine and Ilsa Lund is heartbreaking. Over the course of the movie, we learn that these two had an affair in Paris when Ilsa thought her husband was dead. Turns out he was still alive and she left Blaine, leaving him to become a complete cynic. Yet for all the relationship issues that these two have had, there was still something between the two, even at the end, but Blaine wanted her on that plane because she had important work to do with her husband for the Czechoslovak resistance against the Nazis. It is such a powerful moment that doesn’t require any gunshots or explosions.
The Princess Bride – Revenge
The Princess Bride is an absolute classic for many reasons. It’s as funny as it is exciting and dramatic. Great writing, acting, and overall story makes this one of the most perfect movies that’s ever been made. This fight scene between Inigo Montoya and Count Rugen is NOT a particularly well-choreographed fight scene, but it is HIGHLY dramatic. At this point, Inigo is severely wounded, but still manages to take on Rugen while taunting him at the same time. At the end, Inigo demands the one thing that he knows that Rugen can’t give: His father. On it’s own the scene is pretty heavy, but when you understand that the actor playing Inigo, Mandy Patinkin, lost HIS father at an early age to cancer, he let those emotions boil to the surface. The character’s rage is Mandy’s rage, so in a way, when Inigo killed Rugen, Mandy killed the cancer that took his father in the same moment, and that makes this scene even more potent.
Forsaken – Father and Son
Forsaken on the surface, seems like a bog-standard Western. It really isn’t. Part of what makes this movie work so well is the cast. You’ve got Demi Moore, Brian Cox, and Michael Wincott as stand-outs in the supporting wing of the film. But the heart and soul of this movie belongs to Kiefer Sutherland and his father Donald. When these two are on screen together, nothing else matters. The fact that they also play father and son just makes those performances so much better.
Unforgiven – “It’s a hell of a thing, killin’ a man.”
The Unforgiven is one of the greatest Westerns ever made, and it’s certainly one of Clint Eastwood’s best. There’s a degree of realism in this movie that you really don’t find in other Westerns. The kid in this scene had just shot a guy in an outhouse to help protect a local prostitute, but you begin to see the act wear him down to where he admits that he had never killed anyone before and how much it’s affecting him. Even though Clint’s character is obviously a skilled killer himself, it’s clear that killing people carries a price. It’s rare for a Western to actually tackle the morality of killing someone. We even see Morgan Freeman’s character and Clint’s hesitate when it comes to shooting someone.
There are a lot of movies out there that have some really small moments, but big themes and ideas. These are some of the ones that really stood out to me. Again, it’s not always about the bigger picture, but rather the small ideas that make up that larger image. Great story-telling is done through great character-work. If you don’t have that, you have nothing. It’s okay to celebrate larger-than-life action sequences, but never forget that real stories are about people. That’s how you connect with the audience.