In the wild black comedy Killer Joe, Matthew McConaughey stars as a hit man hired to knock off the matriarch of a trailer-trash-tastic Texas clan (for a life-insurance payout, natch). It's a slickly sadistic yet disarming performance. But the thing that makes it unforgettable (and that likely sealed its fate as an NC-17-rated pic) is an indelible, deeply disturbing, fried-chicken scene. Indeed, it is arguably the most disturbing instance of food being used to inflict harm ever captured on celluloid—but it isn't the first. Here are 10 more.
(1) The Battle of the Century (1927)
If there's anything more American than apple pie, it's a pie in the face. Pieing (as it's known among connoisseurs) was first seen on film in the 1909 silent film Mr.
Flip. But it was this Laurel and Hardy classic—in which a whopping 3,000
pies were deployed—that made the act a slapstick standby.
(2) The Public Enemy (1931)
The most politically incorrect entry on our
list comes (dis)courtesy of William A. Wellman's classic crime film, in
which James Cagney, playing gangster-on-the-make Tom Powers, uses his
girlfriend's grapefruit against her.
(3) Duck Soup (1933)
In the final scene, which marks the end of the war
between neighboring countries Freedonia and Sylvan, the Marx Brothers
capture the Sylvan ambassador, Trentino, and pelt him with fruit.
(4) Bugsy Malone (1976)
All the violence in this truly bizarre,
Prohibition-era gangster musical—the cast of which is completely
made up of kids—comes in the form of cream pies and custard-shooting
"splurge guns." (Scroll to around 2:45.)
(5) The Monster Squad (1987)
This preteen horror comedy ends with a
member of the titular monster fan club burning Dracula's face with a
garlic pizza.
(6) Serial Mom (1994)
John Waters' dark suburban comedy culminates with
serial mom Beverly (Kathleen Turner) choosing a leg of lamb over a
knife, then beating a woman who insulted her son at a store to
death.
(7) Se7en (1995)
In the dark, twisted world of David Fincher's brilliant
thriller, a glutton gets force-fed to death. Fortunately, the scene is a little less disturbing when you add a laugh track and music from Saved by the Bell:
(8) Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
"Watch this," Uncle Rico says before
throwing a steak at Napoleon's face.
(9) Shoot 'Em Up (2007)
The (sole?) highlight of this thriller comes when
Clive Owen shoves a carrot through the bad guy's throat in order to save
a pregnant woman. His parting advice: "Eat your vegetables."
(10) Law-Abiding Citizen (2009)
Gerard Butler brutally stabs his cellmate
with a T-bone in this crime thriller. Brace yourself. (Scroll to around 50:00.)
—Nicole Torres
Also on Details.com:
Breakfast With
Wilfred Creator and Star Jason Gann
Is
French Actor Omar Sy (The Intouchables) the Next Big Thing?
7 Memorable Movie Man-Children
Rating
Comments
Post A Comment