10 Truly Harrowing Deaths In War Movies That We’re Still Not Over

War movies are inherently sad and full of death, but 10 death scenes from notable war films are truly harrowing beyond all others. War movies are extremely common, and while not all of them are meant to be sad, many of them have at least one heartbreaking death by the end of the story. Deaths in war movies can be sorrowful because of the character who dies, the manner in which they died, or any number of other factors, but the most impactful ones can leave audiences contemplating them for days.

War movies have a way of forging emotional connections with audiences, which helps them create powerful death scenes. War movies based on books are especially adept at this because they have the advantage of preexisting connections with audiences who have read the books. Whether it’s based on a book or not though, any war movie can create a harrowing death scene that breaks the hearts of viewers, and 10 of these scenes stand out for the hard-felt emotional toll they take on the audience.

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10 A Jewish Family Is Brutally Murdered By The SS

The Pianist

The Pianist ​​​​​​is one of Focus Features’ best movies, and indeed, one of the best holocaust movies ever. Following the story of Polish-Jewish pianist Władysław Szpilman, this movie’s most harrowing death scene comes when Szpilman’s neighbors, a Jewish family, are brutally murdered by the notorious Nazi paramilitary organization known as the Schutzstaffel (S.S.). The S.S. enters the home of these innocent people and kills them indiscriminately. This scene is so difficult to watch because of the brutality with which it’s depicted, and the jarring impact it has on Szpilman.

9 Rosie Is Hanged By Nazis

Jojo Rabbit

Jojo Rabbit is one of the most creative World War II films, and it includes one of the saddest moments in any war movie. Jojo’s mother, Rosie, turns out to be part of the German resistance to Nazism, and when her deception is uncovered by the Nazis, the Gestapo hangs her in a public square. The scene shows only Rosie’s distinctive shoes as Jojo approaches his mother in tears. Perhaps the most harrowing aspect of this scene is the way it completely shatters young Jojo’s innocence, leaving him motherless in the process.

8 Shosanna Is Shot

Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds is a Quentin Tarantino masterpiece that follows a scheme to assassinate Adolf Hitler and the rest of the Nazi leadership. One of the film’s key characters, Shosanna Dreyfus, succeeds in almost every part of her plan, but ends up dying a tragic death when she and Fredrick Zoller shoot each other just before their plans come to fruition. Shosanna’s death is truly shocking, and it’s heartbreaking that she is killed before finding out if her plan succeeded. The masterful way that Tarantino shoots this scene makes it impossibly mortifying.

7 Corporal Blake Is Stabbed

1917

Corporal Blake’s death in 1917 is a terribly memorable moment in this fantastic World War I movie. Blake tries to save a dying German pilot from the wreckage of his plane, but when the man comes to his senses, he stabs Blake in the torso, sentencing him to a painful and tragic death. The fact that Blake was trying to save the life of the man who killed him is what makes this scene so hard to watch, and the image of Schofield watching helplessly as his friend bleeds out is one that lives in the minds of audiences forever.

6 Captain Miller Is Shot

Saving Private Ryan

Captain Miller’s death in the Steven Spielberg classic Saving Private Ryan is one of the most stirring moments in film. Miller is shot in the chest and slowly bleeding out, and just after the Allied bombers arrive and save them from quickly approaching enemy tanks, he gives Private Ryan his final message before dying: “earn this”. Watching Miller die after all he does to accomplish their mission is heartbreakingly sad, and though the film reaches a hopeful note after his death, the moment in which he finally dies is devastating.

5 Sergeant Elias Is Killed

Platoon

Platoon is one of the most jarring Vietnam War movies ever made, and Sergeant Elias’ death is one of the most depressing scenes in the film. Elias is one of the few men capable of sticking to his morals during the trauma and terror of their fight, and when he is seemingly murdered by his devious comrade, Barnes, it doesn’t seem like things could get any sadder. It does, however, get worse, as Elias survives his wounds, only to be killed by enemy soldiers as his friends watch helplessly from their helicopter.

4 Smitty Ryker Dies In Doss’ Arms

Hacksaw Ridge

Desmond Doss saves numerous lives in the stirring World War II film, Hacksaw Ridge, but there was nothing he could do for his friend Smitty Ryker. Smitty is shot multiple times by a machine gun, and he dies in Doss’ arms, telling his friend that he’s scared just before he passes. This heartrending scene is so difficult to digest because audiences grow to love Smitty over the course of the film, only for him to die before Doss can save him.

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3 Mr. Clean Is Shot

Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now is a jarring Vietnam War movie by the legendary writer and director, Francis Ford Coppola. One of the most harrowing scenes in the movie occurs when Tyrone “Mr. Clean” Miller is shot multiple times on a riverboat, dying almost instantly. The grief felt by Clean’s comrades and friends is palpable, and the fact that it was clearly Lance’s activation of a smoke grenade that attracted the enemy fire only makes it harder to bear. This movie is loaded with depressing moments, but Clean’s death is one of the worst.

2 Lieutenant Murphy Is Shot

Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor is a 2013 war movie that follows a four-man Navy SEAL team’s failed mission in the War in Afghanistan that left, as the name suggests, just one survivor. Lieutenant Murphy is shot while trying to signal for extraction from the top of a mountain, and though he manages to signal the quick response force before dying, it all goes for naught when the helicopter sent to rescue them is shot down by an RPG. Murphy’s death is unforgettably sad, and the fact that his efforts to signal for extraction came to nothing only makes it worse.

1 Albert Kropp Is Burned Alive

All Quiet On The Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front is a masterful World War I movie told from the perspective of a German soldier named Paul Baümer. Paul’s friend Albert dies a chilling death when he is caught in no man’s land and tries to surrender, only to be burned alive by a soldier with a flamethrower. The brutality of his death and the impact it leaves on Paul make this one of the most devastating scenes in any war movie. Albert was also an extremely likable character, making his death utterly gut-wrenching.