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When characters face impossible dilemmas, audiences hold their breath. Join us as we explore the most heart-wrenching choices in cinema where there are no good options - only necessary sacrifices. From a mother's unthinkable choice to heroes deciding who lives and who dies, these moments define characters and haunt viewers long after the credits roll.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down some of the biggest decisions in movie
00:11history, where no matter what, someone pays the price.
00:14Since we're diving into some of cinema's toughest calls, a spoiler alert goes without
00:18saying, but we'll say it anyway, spoiler alert.
00:38Will's arc revolves around confronting his childhood trauma and accepting himself for
00:43all his flaws.
00:44Along the way, the protagonist genuinely falls for Skylar, even though he would admit it.
00:48Through Sean's fatherly wisdom and Chucky's heartfelt encouragement, Will realises he
00:52has to break free from his emotional limbo.
01:06He finds himself between two life-altering choices, living up to his genius potential in Boston
01:11or following his heart to be with Skylar in California.
01:14After denying his genius for so long, Will stands on the brink of greatness.
01:18But with Skylar, he could finally have what he truly wants, a shot at happiness.
01:23He chooses the latter, leaving us to imagine what that decision ultimately leads to.
01:32Lamar Burgess, the director of the pre-crime police program, is the true architect behind
01:47the entire conflict that haunts John Anderton.
01:50By the film's climax, Anderton learns just how far Burgess went to preserve pre-crime's
01:55flawed system, and the blood he shed to keep the program alive.
01:58In the end, Burgess is left with two options, kill Anderton to prove pre-crime works at the
02:03cost of his freedom, or spare Anderton, effectively destroying all of his life's work.
02:07Although we're firmly on Anderton's side, it's easy to see the dilemma racing through Burgess'
02:21mind.
02:22Burgess takes a third way out, sparing himself from public disgrace, while exonerating Anderton
02:27in the process.
02:29Anderton.
02:30Anderton.
02:31To free or not to free, 127 hours.
02:36Considering the film is based on a true story, this choice, understandably, gives off a chilling
02:53sense of realism.
02:54After days with his arm trapped behind a boulder, Aaron Ralston acknowledges that, for him, it's
02:59quite literally do or die.
03:01Having resisted the horror of losing his own arm, he has to make a decision, and make one
03:05fast.
03:16Inspired by a vision of a son he might have one day, Aaron chooses to make that future
03:20a reality.
03:21Excruciating both physically and mentally, the protagonist braves through the agony to reclaim
03:26his freedom.
03:27By surrendering his arm to save his life, Aaron turns a moment of defeat into his greatest triumph.
03:35After a while, he has to make a decision.
03:36He has to make a decision.
03:37He has to make a decision.
03:38He has to make a decision.
03:39He has to make a decision.
03:40He has to make a decision.
03:41He has to make a decision.
03:42Sometimes people dig themselves in so deep that they reach the point of no return.
03:56When Anakin Skywalker sides with Palpatine in order to save Padme, he surrenders to the
04:00dark side and becomes Darth Vader.
04:02The misguided Jedi thus loses his humanity, killing younglings, blowing up planets and
04:07chopping off his own son's hand.
04:11Regardless, Luke still believes that there's hope for his father.
04:19When Luke is at the Emperor's mercy, Vader is left with two options.
04:22Save his boy or remain loyal to the dark side after years of dedicated service.
04:27In the end, Vader sees the light and finds redemption.
04:29Hey, it's never too late to make amends, right?
04:36A god turned mortal, Hercules aspires to reunite with his parents on Mount Olympus.
04:51Before reclaiming his godhood though, Herk must go the distance.
04:54By making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of love, Wonderboy finally earns his immortality
04:59and his welcome home.
05:01However, returning to Mount Olympus would mean leaving his life on Earth behind for eternity.
05:13Although he's literally been to hell and back to achieve his dream, Herk discovers that
05:17his place isn't with the gods, but with the love of his life.
05:21Mortal or immortal, there's no denying that Hercules is a true hero.
05:24Although Rick and Ilse's love was true, it was all too brief.
05:48Their romance was derailed by Ilse's loyalty to her husband, Victor Laszlo, whom she once
05:53thought was dead.
05:54After suddenly walking back into Rick's life, old feelings surface and something has to give.
06:05Ilse is caught between standing by her husband's cause as a resistance leader or staying with
06:09Rick, the love of her life.
06:11In the end, Rick makes that decision for her, absolving her of any guilt she may have carried.
06:16Though this seals their romance as a moment lost to time, Ilse is spared from an impossible
06:20choice she may never have been able to live with.
06:37For both Indy and his father, claiming the Holy Grail wasn't just an achievement, it was
06:41a lifelong obsession.
06:42So, after watching them struggle and battle their way to reach the relic, it's no surprise
06:47that Indy finds it hard to walk away.
06:49With the Grail fingertips away, our hero puts it all on the line for his ultimate reward.
06:54Realising the heavy toll their obsession has had on him and his son, Henry urges Indy to
06:59let it go.
07:08Abandoning his shot at immortality is far from easy, but our hero finds the strength to set
07:13his deepest desire aside for good.
07:15He may have lost the Grail, but reclaiming his father's love is worth more than any mark
07:19of glory.
07:20He chose wisely.
07:21She did not.
07:26It isn't easy keeping up with all the twists and turns in this Christopher Nolan classic.
07:43Cobb's wife, Mal, is arguably the most mysterious element of the movie, appearing as a manifestation
07:49of his guilt.
07:50Unable to overcome the pain of causing her death, Cobb's mind is haunted by Mal's constant
07:54presence.
07:55But in Limbo, he comes face to face with his internal conflict, whether to stay with her
08:00in the dream world, or return to reality for his children.
08:16Although tempted to remain in this illusion, Cobb confronts his guilt and finally lays Mal
08:20to rest.
08:21Whether he actually wakes up is left ambiguous, but at this moment, Cobb's true victory lies
08:26in choosing truth over denial.
08:44Being a superhero sucks sometimes.
08:46In Sam Raimi's 2002 blockbuster, the Green Goblin shows Spider-Man the cost of being a
08:50hero by confronting him with a dastardly choice.
08:53Clutching the woman Peter Parker loves in one hand, and a tram car filled with children
08:57in another, the villain forces our hero to decide who will live and who will fall to
09:01their doom.
09:10Through some slick web-slinging, though, he manages to catch Mary Jane and grab onto the
09:14cable car too.
09:15Gobby attempts to intervene, but the people of New York actually come to Spidey's aid for
09:19a change.
09:20While Spider-Man avoids making an impossible choice, he still must answer to his green nemesis.
09:24While most of this film focuses on Patrick Kenzie's search for the missing Amanda, it's the twist-ending
09:51that delivers the biggest impact.
09:53Not only is Amanda alive and well, but she's been taken by a police officer who treats her
09:57like his own.
09:58Where Amanda's mother is toxic and neglectful, her abductor is warm and loving.
10:02Letting her stay would all but guarantee a happy, secure life for her.
10:06But for Patrick, it comes down to upholding the law or taking justice into his own hands.
10:18In this case, making the right decision comes at a heavy cost, leaving everyone, including
10:23Patrick himself, in a worse place than before.
10:40In the original Superman, Lex Luthor launches a nuclear missile to destroy the west coast
10:44of the United States.
10:46Just to make sure his arch-nemesis doesn't get in the way, the criminal mastermind sends
10:49another warhead to the east coast, Superman chooses to stop the missile headed for New
10:53Jersey first.
10:55While he makes it to San Andreas to save a few lives, it's too late for Lois Lane.
11:05Although Superman is forbidden from interfering with human history, he decides to save the
11:09woman he loves by reversing time.
11:11I know right, who knew you could do that?
11:13Granted, this is a total cop-out in terms of storytelling and makes little sense, but our
11:18hero is still presented with a genuine ethical dilemma.
11:37Every hero makes sacrifices in the war against the Empire, but Leia's loss is arguably the
11:42most devastating.
11:43Thrust into a no-win situation scenario, she either gives up the Rebel base, or watches
11:48Alderaan annihilated before her eyes.
11:50It's a choice with no right answer.
11:52On one hand, revealing the Rebel alliance dooms the entire galaxy.
12:05On the other, everyone Leia has known and loved is wiped out in an instant.
12:09Leia knew what was at stake when she joined the rebellion, but choosing between a cause
12:13and billions of lives is a burden no one can bear.
12:17Despite a desperate lie to save Alderaan, the princess watches in horror as the Death Star's
12:21superlaser turns her homeworld into rubble.
12:28In order for Harry Potter to become the boy who lived, his parents had to lose their own
12:44lives to Voldemort.
12:46During Harry's first year at Hogwarts, the Dark Lord offers him the chance to resurrect
12:50his mum and dad in exchange for the Philosopher's Stone.
12:53Harry sees right through his deceit, however, and avoids temptation.
12:57Harry is faced with an even more challenging dilemma several years later, upon realising
13:00Voldemort can only be killed if he sacrifices himself.
13:13Knowing that the Wizarding World will be doomed otherwise, Harry nobly surrenders.
13:18Our hearts all sank when Voldemort chanted, Avada Kedavra.
13:21But this was all, fortunately, part of Dumbledore's grand plan.
13:25Even if you haven't seen the movie, you've probably heard of the famous What's in the
13:41Box line.
13:42Although known for its memeable material, the scene itself is anything but funny.
13:46Just as the heroes think they've won, John Doe turns the tables on them.
13:49As Mills pieces the horrifying truth together, Doe goads him into claiming his life.
13:54Even though it plays right into the villain's hands, Mills' rage is entirely justified.
14:04Just like him, we want Doe to suffer for his crimes, but pulling the trigger allows the
14:08villain to escape from justice.
14:10Overcome by wrath, Mills gives in to his need for vengeance, completing Doe's twisted plan
14:16and allowing the bad guy to win.
14:29While the other Avengers zip through time travel shenanigans to collect the Infinity Stones,
14:33Clint and Natasha find themselves with a far simpler and crueler choice.
14:37Far away from home in an alien world, they realize that only one of them is coming back.
14:42But while others like Thanos chose to sacrifice their loved ones, Clint and Natasha fight to
14:47save the other.
14:55It's a gut-wrenching scene that proves the depth of their love and loyalty, each willing
14:59to fall so their friend can live.
15:01When it comes down to it though, it's Natasha who makes the final call.
15:04By giving her life, she not only saves the universe, but also brings her long, hard-earned
15:09journey to a powerful close.
15:28Despite making it out of the supermarket alive, David and his group find themselves stranded
15:32in the mist.
15:33With growing desperation and no help in sight, their choice is clear.
15:37Either wait to be torn apart by the monsters, or take matters into their own hands.
15:41They choose the latter.
15:43It's far from a victory, but at least it's their choice to make, right?
15:48But, just when David is the last one standing, he realizes it was all in vain.
15:58Just a few more seconds would have saved them all.
16:00Instead, David is left to live with the crushing weight of a choice he can never take back.
16:07Where Superman can just rewind time, Batman must live with the consequences of his actions.
16:24The Joker pushes Batman to his limit when he kidnaps two of Gotham's finest and plans
16:29to blow them up in separate locations.
16:31The Dark Knight chooses to rescue Rachel, and the police race to save Harvey.
16:35Since the Joker isn't exactly known for his honesty, it shouldn't come as a surprise
16:38that he reversed the addresses.
16:48Batman ends up saving Harvey instead, while the cops can't reach Rachel in time.
16:52The Joker's chaos continues to spread like wildfire, when he rigs two ferries with explosives,
16:58and makes the passengers decide which one goes boom.
17:01He certainly knows how to split people down the middle.
17:14Neo must make numerous difficult choices throughout the Matrix trilogy, including when the Architect
17:19gives him the option of saving Trinity or Zion.
17:22Yet, the most crucial decision Neo makes is whether or not to learn about the Matrix in
17:26the first place.
17:27Through clever symbolism, Morpheus gives Neo two selections.
17:30He can either take the blue pill and keep living any false reality, or take the red pill and
17:34venture further down the rabbit hole.
17:42Although he doesn't regret facing the truth, others would argue that ignorance is bliss.
17:46If we found out the real world was overrun with machines, the blue pill, honestly, would
17:50have been tempting.
17:56Although the Saw movies rely heavily on graphic imagery, each film also possesses a certain
18:11degree of psychological horror.
18:13The Jigsaw Killer constructs appalling games that have no true winners.
18:17In the first film, two men find themselves chained up in an unknown location.
18:21Hitted against each other, just one of them can leave this bathroom alive.
18:25Even then, the only means of escape is foot amputation.
18:36The games only get more sadistic as the series goes on, especially in the sixth film, where
18:40a man must decide which of his colleagues will die, and who will get to live to play another
18:45game.
18:46No matter what game Jigsaw is playing, we wouldn't want to be in any of his victim's shoes.
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19:10This scene is simply every parent's worst nightmare.
19:25In a flashback, it's revealed that Sophie was sent to Auschwitz with her son and daughter.
19:29A Nazi informs her that one of her children can go and work in a labor camp, and that
19:34the other will be murdered.
19:36As if that's not cruel enough, Sophie must decide which one will live, and which one
19:40will die.
19:41Devastated beyond belief, the mother decides to save her son, believing he'll have a better
19:45shot at survival than her daughter.
19:55What makes this even more tragic is that we never learn the fate of Sophie's son.
19:59As any loving mother or father can imagine, this decision haunts our titular character until
20:04her dying day.
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