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5 Highly Unexpected Movie Moments

By Jameson Brown · October 17, 2014

Motion pictures are about stories unfolding. We need to see characters develop, stories revealed versus being plastered on the screen all at once. During the page turning process there are pivot points that can sometimes be shocking. It’s the epic move in the final battle or the opening reveal that shocks us for the rest of the film. These unexpected moments can happen at any point (but tend to occur or act as the turning point for the next segment of the story). These unexpected sequences or quick scenes are not always good either. Don’t forget, entertainment does not always equate to quality.

 

5. Road House: Throat Grab

I’m not sure there are enough adjectives to describe this gun-blazer of a movie. It’s thinnly plotted (by an Oscar nominee no less), bombastic in every sense of the word and campily acted. But I love it. It’s raw, 80’s entertainment cinema that is completely aware of itself. For this reason alone, I give it points. I also give it points for the throat grab that makes me gasp every time I see it. Albeit absurd, it’s shocking and something only Swayze can execute.

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4. Magnolia: Frog Drop

One of the strangest, but well written, moments in P.T. Anderson’s operatic story of Los Angeleons being presented with the divine opportunity to reset their lives. At first viewing, this third act twist is one that is guaranteed to have that jaw on the floor.

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3. Fight Club: Stop Punching Yourself

One of the most entertaining scenes in the movie (and hardest to effectively film) that first surprises with its unexpectedness, but then shifts to cringeworthy viewing. Norton fully commits and the result is bloody glorious. Another note on this scene is the realism of each punch to the face. As much as I’d like to hear an Indiana Jones echo punch, these are gritty, piercing, but most important, real.

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2. Deep Blue Sea: See You Later, Samuel

This was a crapshoot of a movie, even by action film standards.

Bottom line: Samuel getting owned by a shark mid story was the best part of the story.

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1. Under the Skin: Seduce and Destroy

With Under the Skin more top of mind for me, I figured it’s a well placed number one for this list. I am currently on a hunt for the source material (and by hunt I mean I have not gone to Amazon yet), as I’d like to see how these sequences are written out in a more traditional form. Visually, they are stunning – each sequence being a slow burn that haunts the mind for much time after the initial viewing. These sequences are mysterious. We understand (kind of) what is happening, but we are not sure if we are interpreting it correctly. As far as being effective at unexpectedness, this takes the cake, or skin.