5. Scarface (1983)
"Say Hello to My Little Friend"
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Cuban drug kingpin Tony Montana (Al Pacino), crazed by the death of his sister and emboldened by way too much blow, shoulders his M203 grenade launcher and loads up his M16 assault rifle before laying waste to the Bolivian drug army that's infiltrating his mansion. "You fuck with me, you're fucking with the best!" Tony bellows in the finale to this cult classic as he showers his atrium with machine gun fire and proves his staying power as he eats a whole lot of lead.
Body count: 24
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4. The Matrix (1999)
"Matrix Lobby Shooting Spree"
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"Can you please remove any metallic items you might be carrying? Keys. Loose change..." So says the sleepy guard at the metal detector of the government building, when a black raincoat-clad Neo sets off the alarm. Neo opens his coat to reveal a waistband stuffed with semi-automatic handguns. With that, the ass-kicking chosen one opens up with two Micro Uzis and takes out two other guards. As the Propellerheads' club groove "Spybreak" sets the high-adrenaline mood, Neo and his S&M-garbed partner Trinity mow down an entire unit of government soldiers. The best moment: when the sound dims just enough to hear the clatter of spent shell casings as they fall by the dozens at Neo's running feet.
Body count: 13
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3. Heat (1995)
"Under Fire"
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Bank robber Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer) strolls from a bank, a duffel bag of cash strapped over his shoulder. His grin turns to a cold-blooded smirk when he spies cops across the street. Without hesitation, Chris opens fire with an automatic rifle, showing sociopathic disregard for the carloads of innocent people in the crossfire. What ensues is a riot of gunplay unlike anything seen on screen before or since. Kilmer, ringleader Neil McCaulay (Robert De Niro) and their bank-robbing cohorts turn the streets of downtown L.A. into a war zone as they try to gun down every cop -- and anyone else -- who stands between them and their escape route. Pal Michael (Tom Sizemore) learns the hard way that small children don't make good shields for grown men. The cops are completely outgunned by the superior firepower of the bank robbers, and Lt. Vincent Hanna's (Al Pacino) machine gun seems like a water pistol, popping off one or two bullets for every ten the bad guys unleash. Michael Mann illustrates the staggering destructive power of the weaponry by the dozens of vehicles turned into Swiss cheese by bullets.
Body count: 11
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2. Hard-Boiled (1992)
"Bullets for Breakfast"
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The 20-minute finale of John Woo's Hong Kong cult classic is often cited as the best movie shootout in history, but the movie's post-credit opening sequence earns our vote for a top berth. Gun runners and cops exchange gunfire in a crowded Hong Kong tearoom while caged birds flutter, shredded dim sum receipts litter the air like confetti and crimson blood splatters white flour-caked faces. The ultra-smooth Chow Yun-Fat -- Asia's Clint Eastwood -- introduces the world to the idea of double-fisted firing while sliding down a banister. It doesn't get more fun than this.
Body count: Nearly 300
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1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
"Sword Fight"
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After a whole lot of boulder-dashing and whip-snapping, the crowd parts in a Cairo market to find Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) faced off against a scimitar-spinning Bedouin soldier. Instead of engaging in a gentleman's duel, the exhausted Indy unholsters his Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector revolver and fires. One shot: the Bedouin hits the dirt. This anti-action scene is brilliant in its humorous efficiency and remains one of the most memorable scenes in, not only this movie, but the whole Indiana Jones trilogy.
Body count: 1
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