LUCK OF THE DRAW

Five great movie duels

THE KILLER 1989

John Woo’s hugely influential Hong Kong actioner sees Chow Yun-Fat’s assassin and Danny Lee’s cop gun down dozens of gangsters in a church before coming up against Shing FuiOn’s triad for one final shoot-out, as the latter grabs a damsel for a body shield. Pistols in both hands… Nobody does stand-offs better than Woo.

THE DUELLISTS 1977

Ridley Scott’s acclaimed debut, set in the early 19th century, boasts more duels than you can shake a bayonet at, though none better than the classic face-off between Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine’s rivals in the grounds of a ruined chateau. Tricked into discharging both his pistols, Keitel’s Feraud is left alive by Carradine’s character, but with his honour permanently tarnished.

BARRY LYNDON 1975

Set in a tithe barn, pigeons fluttering around the rafters, Ryan O’Neal’s titular social climber finally gets what’s coming to him, courtesy of Leon Vitali’s Lord Bullingdon, as they take turns to shoot, in Stanley Kubrick’s masterful take on Thackeray’s novel. According to Vitali, only he and Kubrick weren’t shat on by pigeons.

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN 1974

Roger Moore’s 007 pits his Walther PPK against Christopher Lee’s gun-forhire Scaramanga and his high-calibre pistol in a ‘gentlemanly’ duel to the death on the villain’s private island. After contending with a freaky hall of mirrors in a funhouse, Bond finally outwits him by posing as a mannequin. What a dummy.

FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE 1965

Why have two gunslingers when you can have three? Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western sees Lee Van Cleef’s Mortimer go toe-to-toe with Gian Maria Volonté’s El Indio, their actions in time to the chimes of a stolen pocket watch (and Ennio Morricone’s masterful score) as Clint Eastwood’s Man With No Name looks on. Bellissima!