The Comedian’s Death (Watchmen)
Once again, Snyder’s love for slow motion and close-up fights results in a picture-perfect delivery of a legendary comic book moment. Also, hearing Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable” crooning throughout this to-and-fro battle, while a cloaked Ozymandias clashes with the Comedian before pushing him out of the window, makes sure that this remains simply unforgettable.
Snyder is the undeniable mastermind behind this fight scene, but credit needs to go to his longtime cinematographer collaborator, Larry Fong, for bringing such vigor and detail to the events leading up to the Comedian’s death. Every frame serves a unique purpose, with nothing being wasted as filler material, leaving us feeling as if this had been painted rather than filmed. It’s remarkable to witness the frame-by-frame perfection achieved by Fong here.
As with all the other films on this list, there are a handful of moments from Watchmen that could’ve been put here as well. However, it’s the Comedian’s death that stands out as the true instance of cinematic magic from Snyder and his team. In fact, it’s got us excited to go watch it right now. Let’s hope that Damon Lindelof’s TV series takes some cues from this outstanding film.