What is an action movie without its sheer number of deaths? Gun fights, explosions, car chases, sword duels, and hand-to-hand combat are all integral to the success of the action movie genre, and without them, there is simply no way of defining the genre. Throughout the years, movies have certainly delivered their share of creative, brutal, and over-the-top kills that keep fans of the genre coming back for more.

More often than not, heroes dispatch their waves of enemies pretty swiftly, whether it’s by gunshots, a massive explosion, or simply by just beheading their opponent. However, there have been many memorable kills in the action genre that combine creativity, brutality, and of course, unforgettable one-liners. With that in mind, buckle up, as we rank the best action movie kills of all time.

9 Death by Light Bulb - The Raid (2011)

     PT Merantau Films

Revitalizing the action genre in 2011, The Raid delivered plenty of memorable fight scenes and kills. From characters being endlessly slashed by machetes, taking bullets by the magazine load, and even a character getting killed by a door. Yet, the most memorable and brutal death has to be Mad Dog’s (Yayan Ruhian), who gets brutally impaled by a broken light bulb to the throat. What makes this kill so unforgettable, is that when stabbed in the neck, Mad Dog doesn’t actually die right away, and instead, carries on fighting for a long while, at least until Rama (Iko Uwais) forces Mad Dog to the ground and brutally drags the broken light bulb protruding from Mad Dog’s throat, all the way to the other side, eventually killing him. Well, at least until his return in The Raid 2.

8 Eat the Knife - Upgrade (2018)

     OTL Releasing

Filled with exhilarating choreography and cinematography, the final kill that wraps this scene up is simply jaw-dropping, in brutality and immense shock value that completely changes the pace and tone for the rest of the movie. When investigating the death of his wife, Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) infiltrates ex-Marine Corps Serk Brantner’s (Richard Cawthorne) house to look for some clues. However, it isn’t long before Brantner returns home and begins to go crazy on Grey before Grey allows his artificial implant, STEM, to take control, which quickly leads to Grey grabbing a knife and forcing it through Bratners mouth, cutting his face in two.

7 Immortan Joe Gets Unmasked - Mad Max Fury Road (2015)

     Kennedy Miller Mitchell

Mostly, Mad Max: Fury Road’s kills are pretty tame, at least until Furiosa (Charlize Theron) rips off Immortan Joe’s mask (which he uses to breathe) from his mouth. Immortan Joe’s gruesome demise is immensely satisfying, utterly brutal, and completely unforgettable. In the final explosive car chase of the movie, Furiosa uses what’s left of her energy to save Immortan Joe’s wives, by hooking a pike to Joe’s mask and wrapping a chain around the massive wheels, right before Furiosa shouts, “Remember me” and rips his mask clean off his face, leaving nothing but a ghastly, gaping hole.

6 King Kong vs Three Tyrannosaurs - King Kong (2005)

     Universal Pictures

Peter Jackson’s remake of the 1933 movie of the same name is nothing short of epic, and Kong’s goliath battle with the T-Rexes is simply wild. After being pursued by two Tyrannosaurs, Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) is out of hope and out of options. At least until Kong swings in to save her, fending off eventually three deadly Tyrannosaurs . This beastly battle leads to Kong defeating the dinosaurs by brutally dislodging the final Tyrannosaur’s bottom jaw, before crushing its top jaw into this skull. Brutal!

5 Hot Shot - Dredd (2012)

     Entertainment Film Distributors

Dredd is without a doubt one of the most overlooked action movies of all time, filled with brutal and exhilarating action, awesome performances, and a bleak, drug-fueled, and whimsical style. Many of the film’s deaths are utterly visceral, as the film shows bullets flying through bad guys’ mouths in awesome slow-motion. Yet the best kill comes in the film’s opening minutes and perfectly encapsulates the wild and gruesome ride Dredd is about to take you on.

When chasing a perp through an old run-down mall, Dredd (Karl Urban) comes face-to-face with the criminal who has taken a woman hostage by holding a gun to her head. This then leads to the gruff Judge raising his gun and saying “Hot shot” to the perp, which forces Dredd’s pistol to change his ammunition type to a flare, leading Dredd’s pistol to fire said flare into the criminal’s mouth, melting his face, from the inside.

4 O-Ren Ishii - Kill Bill Volume 1 (2003)

     Miramax Films

When watching a Quentin Tarantino movie, audiences have to expect very gruesome deaths filled with bucket loads of blood. Kill Bill may still be the most violent movie he has ever made, which of course paves the way for many brilliant kills. Of course, the film is synonymous with the massacre of the crazy 88, which is simply a wonder to behold. However, the kill that is the most poignant and worthy of the list, has to be O-Ren Ishii’s (Lucy Liu) brush with The Bride (Uma Thurman).

In the snowy, tranquil garden behind the club, The Bride and O-Ren Ishii, two world-class killers, go toe-to-toe in an epic stand-off. O-Ren proves her prowess by striking against the Bride, before Beatrix Kiddo quickly gets the upper hand and scalps O-Ren Ishii, slicing off the top of her head, as audiences see her skull and a part of her brain slide off her head.

3 With a Pencil - John Wick Chapter 2 (2017)

     Lionsgate

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has one of the largest kill counts in history, killing hundreds of foes with headshots, knives to the eyeballs, and even with a book. Yet fans of the franchise know that Mr. Wick has a legend of killing “four guys in a bar with a pencil”, and since then, we have been clamoring to see this skill in action. Thankfully, John Wick Chapter 2 gave us this wish in all its gory glory.

When avoiding death, after Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) marks John as “Ex-communicade” with a large hit placed on him, John is faced with two assassins sitting at a bar, who quickly begin attacking the “baba yaga”. It isn’t long before John gets the upper hand and grabs a pencil, stabbing an assassin in the hand, through his teeth, and then finally plunging it through his ear. However, the other assassin attempts to claim the bounty to zero avail, as John grabs another pencil and forces it through the assassin’s throat, then places the pencil on the wall and throws the assassin into it.

2 A Steamy Death - Commando (1985)

     20th Century Fox

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been the harbinger of many memorable kills throughout his expansive action movie career, yet none quite compare to his brilliant kill in Commando. Schwarzenegger is his true macho self, defeating his enemy in a brutal and over-the-top fashion while delivering an iconic one-liner, of which only he could have pulled off.

John Matrix (Schwarzenegger) and brilliantly cheesy villain Bennett (Vernon Wells) are trapped in a deadly hand-to-hand battle surrounded by steam pipes. It isn’t long before John Matrix wins the battle, forcing Bennett to the wall in a bloody mess. However, Bennett decides to pull a gun out on John, turning the tides quickly in Bennett’s favor. Without even a single thought, John Matrix breaks off a steam pipe and hurls it at Bennett; the large metal steam pipe protrudes from Bennett’s stomach, spewing out steam, all before John Matrix brilliantly exclaims “Let off some steam, Bennett”

1 Death By Carrot - Shoot ’em Up (2007)

     New Line Cinema

2007’s Shoot em Up is nothing short of a thrilling action extravaganza, and somewhat of a homage to the brilliantly over-the-top action movies of the past, the film comes with a splattering of memorable kills. Yet none of which can beat the hilarious, unexpected, and simultaneously badass first kill of the movie.

While sitting on a bench and eating a carrot, Smith (Owen) witnesses a goon chasing after a pregnant woman with the full intention of killing her and her baby. When the goon is about to pull the trigger, Smith taps him on the shoulder, and as the goon turns around, Smith shoves a carrot in the goon’s mouth before smacking it out the other side of his head. As awesome and bonkers as this kill is, the only way it could be even crazier is with a one-liner, which the kill also delivers. Smith utters the words “Eat your vegetables” as the goon falls to the ground.