Many of cinema’s most memorable scenes involve the death of an important character. It’s hard to think of some of Hollywood’s greatest films without the passing of someone of consequence: The Wicked Witch in “The Wizard of Oz,” Charles Foster Kane in “Citizen Kane,” Quint in “Jaws,” the titular characters in “Thelma & Louise,” or Sonny Corleone in “The Godfather.”
But many other people die on screen, too, most of them anonymous, and though they may not have the star power of the important characters meeting their maker, they are accounted for, if not by name, by number.
To determine the movies in which the most people died in, 24/7 Tempo referred to data compiled by IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon, and by Movie Body Counts and The Cinemaholic. Scores and ratings come from IMDb and from Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, and information on cast and directors comes from IMDb.
The body count for a given motion picture is only for on-screen deaths. For example, 307 people perished on-screen in the blockbuster film “Titanic,” although more than 1,500 passengers and crew died in the actual disaster.
As you might expect, the body counts are high in war movies such as “When We Were Soldiers,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “The Last Samurai.” Films that take place in a dystopian future also have many on-screen deaths, such as “Starship Troopers” and “Equilibrium.” (These are the 50 best action movies of all time.)
Click here to see the movies with the highest body count
Hong Kong movie maker John Woo, whose films are known for their frenetic action sequences and stylized use of slow motion, has four motion pictures on the list, including “The Killer” and “Bullet in the Head.” Zombie movies are represented by such titles as “Dawn of the Dead” and “House of the Dead.” (These are the best zombie movies of all time, according to data.)
Some of the films on our list with the most on-screen deaths also are among the most honored by the motion-picture industry. “Titanic” won 11 Academy Awards, and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” triumphed in all 11 Oscar categories for which it was nominated – and takes the prize for the film with the highest on-screen body count of any movie on the list.
40. Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)
> Body count: 124
> Directed by: Russell Mulcahy
Milla Jovovich plays a woman who is genetically altered and possesses superhuman abilities in this action horror film. She joins forces with others against the evil Umbrella Corp. to eliminate a virus that turns humans into zombies.
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39. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
> Body count: 126
> Directed by: Sergio Leone
Perhaps the most famous of Sergio Leone’s “spaghetti westerns,” “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” is known for Clint Eastwood’s laconic character, the breathtaking landscapes, and a haunting, iconic score from Ennio Morricone.
38. Versus (2000)
> Body count: 127
> Directed by: Ryûhei Kitamura
In this action-horror film from Ryûhei Kitamura, an escaped prisoner (Tak Sakaguchi) and a young woman (Chieko Misaka) take on undead fighters in Japan’s Forest of Resurrection.
37. Rambo III (1988)
> Body count: 127
> Directed by: Peter MacDonald
Sylvester Stallone returns as John Rambo in “Rambo III.” In this film, Rambo is recruited for a mission in Afghanistan to help the mujahideen in their fight against the Soviet Union.
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36. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
> Body count: 131
> Directed by: Zack Snyder
Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, and Mekhi Phifer star in this faithful remake of George A. Romero’s classic zombie-fest of the same name. Romero co-wrote the reboot.
35. Kelly’s Heroes (1970)
> Body count: 139
> Directed by: Brian G. Hutton
An all-star cast including Clint Eastwood, Don Rickles, Carroll O’Connor, and Telly Savalas appear in this subversive war/heist caper about U.S. soldiers who cross over German lines to steal Nazi gold.
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34. Zulu (1964)
> Body count: 140
> Directed by: Cy Endfield
Buoyed by British acting heavyweights Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, and Michael Caine, “Zulu” is a dramatic account of the Battle of Rorke’s Drift in South Africa between soldiers of the British Empire and the Zulu nation.
33. Blade: Trinity (2004)
> Body count: 140
> Directed by: David S. Goyer
Wesley Snipes plays the human-vampire hybrid Blade, who joins with the Nightstalkers to face Dracula. Kris Kristofferson and Parker Posey also appear.
32. House of the Dead (2003)
> Body count: 141
> Directed by: Uwe Boll
German director Uwe Boll has made some of the goriest zombie-themed films, and “House of the Dead” is among them. The plot, such as it is, involves young people planning to attend a rave on an island that they discover is overrun by zombies.
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31. The Wild Bunch (1969)
> Body count: 145
> Directed by: Sam Peckinpah
Director Sam Peckinpah became famous for his violent cinematic storytelling, and “The Wild Bunch” was one of his signature films. In this one, an aging outlaw, played by Willliam Holden, gets his gang together for one last heist that turns out to be a trap. The film also features Ernest Borgnine and Robert Ryan.
30. Invasion U.S.A. (1985)
> Body count: 146
> Directed by: Joseph Zito
Chuck Norris is a virtual one-army in “Invasion U.S.A.” Produced by the noted team of Yoram Globus and Menachem Golan, the film is about a Soviet agent out to get revenge on Norris while causing carnage and destruction in South Florida.
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29. The Killer (1989)
> Body count: 149
> Directed by: John Woo
This John Woo actioner is about an assassin who accepts one last assignment so he can use his earnings to restore the vision of a singer he accidentally blinded. The film features Chow Yun-Fat, Danny Lee, and Sally Yeh.
28. Shoot ‘Em Up (2007)
> Body count: 151
> Directed by: Michael Davis
One of the few comedy/action films on this list is about a man who delivers a baby during a shootout, and then must protect the newborn from gunmen. The cast includes Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci, and Paul Giamatti.
27. Hero (2002)
> Body count: 152
> Directed by: Yimou Zhang
Yimou Zhang directed, co-wrote, co-produced this martial-arts spectacular. The film is about an unnamed fighter (Jet Li) being honored for defeating three of the king’s most dangerous enemies. However, as the fighter explains his encounters, the king has his doubts about his version of events.
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26. Pearl Harbor (2001)
> Body count: 153
> Directed by: Michael Bay
“Pearl Harbor” mixes romance and history as two pilots romance a nurse in Hawaii in the days leading up to the fateful attack. The film stars Ben Affleck, Kate Beckinsale, and Josh Hartnett.
25. The Mummy (1999)
> Body count: 155
> Directed by: Stephen Sommer
Brendan Fraser portrays an American serving in the French Foreign Legion who accidentally awakens a mummy who wreaks havoc.
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24. Lone Wolf and Cub: White Heaven in Hell (1974)
> Body count: 169
> Directed by: Yoshiyuki Kuroda
A samurai battles his archenemy in a final confrontation. This was the sixth and final film of the series. It starred Tomisaburô Wakayama and Akihiro Tomikawa.
23. The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
> Body count: 172
> Directed by: Michael Mann
Michael Mann’s sprawling adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper’s classic stars Daniel Day-Lewis as one of the last of the Mohican nation trying to spare his people and others from the coming French and Indian War.
22. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
> Body count: 175
> Directed by: George A. Romero
From director George A. Romero, the original “Dawn of the Dead” is one of the most gripping zombie movies ever made. In the film, a radio-station employee (David Emge), his girlfriend (Gaylen Ross), and two SWAT team members escape to a shopping center to make humankind’s last stand.
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21. McBain (1991)
> Body count: 181
> Directed by: James Glickenhaus
Christopher Walken is McBain, a former Vietnam War lieutenant who gets his buddies together to help a revolutionary’s sister topple a drug-cartel-backed regime in Colombia. The movie also stars Maria Conchita Alonso..
20. Braveheart (1995)
> Body count: 184
> Directed by: Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson directed and stars in this epic based on the exploits of Scottish hero William Wallace who fought to free his homeland from the tyrannical King Edward I of England in the 13th century. Patrick McGoohan and Sophie Marceau also appear, and the movie won five Oscars.
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19. Dune (1984)
> Body count: 186
> Directed by: David Lynch
This movie about the struggle for control of a planet that possessed an invaluable spice is based on Frank Herbert’s epic novel and stars Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, and rock star Sting.
18. The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
> Body count: 187
> Directed by: David Twohy
In this futuristic film, Vin Diesel plays a criminal who arrives on a planet and has to confront an empire that either converts or kills humans. The movie also stars Judi Dench and Thandiwe Newton.
17. Blood Diamond (2006)
> Body count: 187
> Directed by: Edward Zwick
Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou are featured as a South African mercenary and a fisherman on a quest to find a precious gem in war-ravaged Sierra Leone.
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16. A Better Tomorrow II (1987)
> Body count: 199
> Directed by: John Woo
This John Woo shoot-em-up is about a restaurateur who teams up with a police officer and his ex-con brother to seek revenge for the death of a friend’s daughter. Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun-Fat star.
15. Bullet in the Head (1990)
> Body count: 214
> Directed by: John Woo
John Woo’s action film is about three friends from Hong Kong who go to Saigon during the Vietnam War and start a criminal venture, and how it changes their lives. The movie stars Tony Chiu-Wai Leung and Jacky Cheung.
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14. Equilibrium (2002)
> Body count: 236
> Directed by: Kurt Wimmer
Christian Bales is the star of this science fiction drama about a future in which feelings are illegal, and the man in charge of enforcing the law, who attempts to overthrow the regime.
13. Rambo (2008)
> Body count: 247
> Directed by: Sylvester Stallone
This Rambo film finds Vietnam War veteran John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) joining mercenaries who go to war-torn Burma to save kidnapped Christian aid workers.
12. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
> Body count: 255
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg’s salute to the Greatest Generation follows a platoon of U.S. soldiers tasked with finding a paratrooper in northern France whose brothers have been killed in action. The five-time Oscar-winning movie stars Tom Cruise and Matt Damon.
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11. Starship Troopers (1997)
> Body count: 256
> Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Paul Verhoeven’s futuristic film is about humans in a fascist future who battle giant alien bugs. Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards are the stars.
10. We Were Soldiers (2002)
> Body count: 305
> Directed by: Randall Wallace
Randall Wallace directed this story of the first major battle between U.S. and communist forces in South Vietnam in 1965, as witnessed by the American battalion’s commander, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore (played by Mel Gibson).
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9. Hard Boiled (1992)
> Body count: 307
> Directed by: John Woo
Action director John Woo’s “Hard Boiled” is about a tough police officer who teams up with an undercover agent to combat a powerful mobster.
8. Titanic (1997)
> Body count: 307
> Directed by: James Cameron
James Cameron’s blockbuster rom-com focuses on the tragic story of a wealthy young woman who loses the love of her life in one of maritime world’s worst tragedies. The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, won 11 Academy Awards.
7. Grindhouse (2007)
> Body count: 310
> Directed by: Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino
Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth, and Quentin Tarantino co-directed this tribute to exploitation films of the 1960s and 70s. It starsKurt Russell, Rose McGowan, Danny Trejo, Zoë Bell.
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6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
> Body count: 486
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
The second of three Lord of the Rings movies, directed by Peter Jackson, won two Academy Awards. Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, and Ian McKellen star.
5. The Last Samurai (2003)
> Body count: 558
> Directed by: Edward Zwick
Tom Cruise plays an American military adviser in 19th-century Japan who comes to appreciate the Samurai culture after he is captured by the Japanese in battle. The film also stars Ken Watanabe and Billy Connolly.
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4. Troy (2004)
> Body count: 572
> Directed by: Wolfgang Peterson
Homer’s epic is reimagined by director Wolfgang Peterson, with a big cast that includes Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, and Sean Bean.
3. 300 (2006)
> Body count: 600
> Directed by: Zack Snyder
This is Zack Snyder’s retelling of the saga of the 300 Spartans who held off the mighty Persian army in the fifth century B.C. Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, and Dominic West star.
2. Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
> Body count: 610
> Directed by: Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott’s historic action-drama with a cast including Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, and Liam Neeson takes place in Jerusalem during the Crusades in the 12th century.
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1. The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The Kings (Extended Edition) (2003)
> Body count: 836
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
“The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The Kings,” winner of 11 Oscars, enjoys the highest IMDb score of any film on this list – and has the highest body count of any movie. In this iteration, Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron’s army to draw his attention away from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
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