The 10 Greatest Bitch Slaps in Movie History
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Modified: 2010-03-12 14:39:07.0
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This slap gets number one on the list purely out of balls and social importance. Sidney Poitier plays a detective from the North who has to come down to racist Mississippi in the 1960s to help out with a murder investigation. Racial tensions are stirred, and when one rich white guy doesn't feel like being questioned by a black man at 00:53 of this clip, he slaps Poitier. What does Poitier do? He bitch slaps the guy right back without a moment of hesitation. What follows is a poignant examination on the aftermath of a bitch slap, and hesitation over the proper course of action to take upon being slapped like... well, like a total bitch. The movie came out in 1967, at the height of Martin Luther King Jr.'s preaching of a non-violent approach to combat racism. Now, we're not exactly sure if he ever saw this scene but we feel pretty confident that, if he did, he would have pumped his fist in a celebratory motion just like the rest of us did. This isn't just a bitch slap, it's a bitch slap that everyone in America can be proud of.more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating Norman Jewison 1967-08-02 Sidney Poitier,Rod Steiger,Lee Grant,William Schallert,Anthony James,Larry Gates,Scott Wilson John Ball,Stirling Silliphant Walter Mirisch Drama Hal Ashby Haskell Wexler United States Quincy Jones They call me MISTER Tibbs Police Chief Bill Gillespie 0 -
Kurt Russell has cemented his role as one of cinema's great badasses. Many consider his role as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone to be Russell at his most badass of all. So when Russell lives out every red-blooded heterosexual male's fantasy by bitch slapping the hell out of Billy Bob Thornton at 02:07 in this clip ("And THAT'S for cheating on Angelina Jolie!"), it may ultimately go down as Russell's baddest of ass moments of all time. Did we mention that Kurt Russell is something of a badass? That's really the main bullet point of our thesis. If you're still confused, we have a pie chart around here somewhere...more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating George Pan Cosmatos 1993-12-25 Kurt Russell,Val Kilmer,Sam Elliott,Bill Paxton,Powers Boothe,Michael Biehn,Michael Rooker,Billy Zane,Dana Delany Kevin Jarre James Jacks,Sean Daniel Western United States Tombstone R (USA) -1 -
For every other person to get on this list, they had to either deliver or receive a real, solid smack across the face. But not Don Corleone. All he had to do to get on the bitch slap list was to slap Johnny Fontaine in a bitchlike fashion at 00:15 in this clip, telling him to act like a man. The smack isn't hard, but it carries more weight than any other slap on the list, and do you know why? Because the Johnny Fontaine character is just a stand-in for Frank Sinatra, and anyone who bitch slaps the chairman of the board and gets away with it truly puts the "God" in "Godfather." (Fun Fact: Did you know that any slap issued by the Godfather automatically qualifies as a bitch slap? It's true! The matter was decided in a committee led by John Cassavetes in 1982.)more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating Francis Ford Coppola 1972-03-15 Marlon Brando,Al Pacino,James Caan,John Cazale,Robert Duvall,Diane Keaton,Talia Shire,Richard S. Castellano,Abe Vigoda,Al Lettieri,Gianni Russo,Sterling Hayden,Lenny Montana,Richard Conte,Al Martino,John Marley,Alex Rocco,Morgana King,John Martino,Victor Rendina,Simonetta Stefanelli,Sofia Coppola,Louis Guss,Tom Rosqui,Joe Spinell,Gabriele T Francis Ford Coppola,Mario Puzo Albert Ruddy Drama,Gangster Peter Zinner,William H. Reynolds Gordon Willis United States Carmine Coppola,Nino Rota The Godfather R (USA) The Godfather Part II Mafia Paramount Pictures Mario Puzo Vito Corleone,Michael Corleone,Sonny Corleone,Fredo Corleone,Tom Hagen,Kay Adams,Connie Corleone,Pete Clemenza,Salvatore Tessio,Virgil Sollozzo,Carlo Rizzi,Captain Mark McCluskey,Luca Brasi,Emilio Barzini,Johnny Fontane,Jack Woltz,Moe Greene,Carmella Corleone,Paulie Gatto,Philip Tattaglia,Apollonia Vitelli-Corleone,Michael Francis Rizzi,Joe -1 -
Slapping a hysterical woman to calm her down is a common occurrence seen in many movies, and is often perceived as the only "socially acceptable" bitch slap we have. (Actually their are 37 sub-genres of bitch slaps, but that's another list altogether.) The best example of this, however, would have to be Airplane's take on the matter when an actual line forms of people hoping to take a crack at the hyperventilating woman embodying this cliche. The best of all the bitch slaps in this scene however (and there are many) would have to be Leslie Nielsen's second crack at her at 00:17, which is entirely unnecessary and therefore absolutely hilarious. Incidentally, women don't actually appreciate this kind of bitch slap as much as you might think. Actually, women generally don't appreciate ANY kind of bitch slap, so even if you're just trying to calm someone down we recommend wearing a protective cup just to be on the safe side.more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating David Zucker,Jerry Zucker,Jim Abrahams 1980-06-27 Robert Hays,Julie Hagerty,Leslie Nielsen,Robert Stack,Lloyd Bridges,Peter Graves,Kareem Abdul-Jabbar,Lorna Patterson,Ethel Merman,Stephen Stucker,Howard Jarvis,Barbara Billingsley David Zucker,Jerry Zucker,Jim Abrahams Howard W. Koch,Jon Davison Airplanes and airports,Comedy,Parody,Disaster Patrick Kennedy Joseph F. Biroc United States Elmer Bernstein Airplane II: The Sequel Paramount Pictures Ted Striker,Elaine Dickinson,Dr. Rumack,Captain Rex Cramer,Steve McCroskey,Captain Clarence Oveur,Roger Murdock,Randy,Johnny Henshaw,Taxi Passenger,Jive speaker -1 -
Daniel Plainview is a hard man, a disciplined man, a calculating man, a man who takes every advantage he can and is never taken advantage of... until now. In order to make his millions - well, "more" of his millions - he finds himself manipulated into being baptized by the town's young religious leader, and for all intents and purposes his own mortal enemy, Eli Sunday. At 02:35, Eli takes advantage by slapping the hell out of Plainview, a man who should probably never be slapped, much in the same way that you should probably never shoot a spitball at a Terminator. But damn it, Plainview needs that oil, and if he needs to be publicly humiliated to get it then by God he's going to make a bigger spectacle than anyone has ever seen, asserting his dominance even in defeat. Best. Baptism. Ever.more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating Paul Thomas Anderson 2007-12-26 Daniel Day-Lewis,Paul Dano,Mary Elizabeth Barrett,David Willis,Kevin J. O'Connor,Dillon Freasier Paul Thomas Anderson Daniel Lupi,Eric Schlosser,Joanne Sellar,Paul Thomas Anderson,Scott Rudin Drama Tatiana S. Riegel,Dylan Tichenor Robert Elswit United States Jonny Greenwood,Jon Brion There Will Be Blood R (USA) Power,Petroleum,Oil exploration 58th Berlin Film Festival Daniel Plainview -1 -
Not all bitch slaps have to be issued by men. In fact, Cher strikes a great blow, and an even greater bitch slap for womankind as she slaps the holy hell out of Nicolas Cage at 01:17 in this clip from Moonstruck. Better yet, it was in response to a declaration of love from the star of Bangkok Dangerous. (We're pretty sure she got the Academy Award on sheer principle.) What follows is the famous "Snap out of it" line, one of the most memorable romantic comedy quotes from the 1980's, right behind "I'll have what she's having" from When Harry Met Sally, a scene that, come to think of it, could also have been approved by a good bitch slap. "Damn it, Meg! We're trying to eat over here! Shut the hell up!"more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating Norman Jewison 1987-12-16 Cher,Nicolas Cage,Olympia Dukakis,Vincent Gardenia,Danny Aiello John Patrick Shanley Norman Jewison Lou Lombardo David Watkin United States Dick Hyman PG (USA) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Loretta Castorini,Ronny Cammareri -1 -
By the time we get to this point in Chinatown, Jack Nicholson has had to endure a lot of shit, not the least of which in getting his nose damn near cut off by the director himself (on-screen, no less). So by the time Faye Dunaway starts lying to him yet again at 02:35 it's pretty understandable that he's run out of patience. And so the bitch slapping begins, one after another, in a ping pong game of twist revelations that are as dramatically potent today as they were when the film was released. Oh yeah... SPOILER WARNING, incidentally. It's generally considered poor form to bitch slap anyone, particularly a woman, but if you absolutely must raise your bitch slapping hand in anger make sure that the information you get out of her is as mind-blowing as this.more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating Roman Polański 1974-06-20 Jack Nicholson,Faye Dunaway,John Huston,Bruce Glover,John Hillerman,Diane Ladd Robert Towne,Roman Polański Robert Evans Film noir,Mystery,Crime,Neo-noir John A. Alonzo United States Jerry Goldsmith Chinatown The Two Jakes Paramount Pictures J. J. Gittes,Evelyn Cross Mulwray -1 -
When all else fails to revive Virgil's wife from certain death, he resorts to what any desperate man in his position would do... slapping the everloving shit out of her. And you know what... it works, although that probably has a lot to do with that fact that this is a James Cameron film; a director whose works tend to be as subtle as a slap across the face anyway. It's also funny that a director who prides himself on technical realism (or at least plausibility) showed a character being defibrillated in a pool of water yet none of the half dozen people leaning over her gets a violent electrical shock. Hey James, you know when they say "Clear!" that it's not just an expression, right? This whole scene is memorable but if you want to get right to the smacking ("God damn it, bitch, you've never backed away from anything in your life!") go to 02:55.more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating James Cameron 1989-08-09 Ed Harris,Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio,Michael Biehn,J.C. Quinn,Jimmie Ray Weeks,John Bedford Lloyd,Todd Graff,Kidd Brewer Jr.,Leo Burmester,Adam Nelson,Kimberly Scott,Chris Elliott,George Robert Kirk James Cameron Gale Anne Hurd,Van Ling Drama,Science fiction Mikael Salomon United States Alan Silvestri The Abyss PG-13 (USA) 20th Century Fox Super 35 mm film -1 -
Starting at 01:00 here, Steve McQueen starts issuing the sloppiest bitch slaps on the list, but easily the most realistic. Do you know why? Well, McQueen wasn't actually "supposed" to slap Ali MacGraw but when the cameras rolled, he just did it. Couldn't help himself. Apparently Ali didn't hold a grudge though, because the very next year they got married, officially setting gender relations back two whole decades. Nicely done, Ali. Couldn't help yourself?more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating Sam Peckinpah 1972-12-13 Steve McQueen,Ali MacGraw,Ben Johnson,Sally Struthers,Al Lettieri,Richard Bright James Thompson,Jim Thompson,Walter Hill Thriller,Crime,Action Lucien Ballard Quincy Jones -1 -
10This list has really covered the gamut, hasn't it? We've seen progressive bitch slaps, interrogative bitch slaps, medicinal bitch slaps, baptismal bitch slaps, and more... But what IS a bitch slap, and how is one achieved? Leave it to Guy Ritchie, a guy who during his marriage to Madonna probably experienced quite a few first hand (and probably her second hand every once in a while too, just to mix it up), who provides an educational interlude in the middle of his film RocknRolla just to clarify. And unlike the faux homemade bomb recipes in Fight Club, this is something audiences can successfully practice at home! Just don't practice on your wife or girlfriend. Dude... That's not cool. She's not Ali McGraw, you know.more info
directed_by initial_release_date actor written_by produced_by genre edited_by cinematography country music tagline soundtrack rating locations sequel prequel subjects costume_design_by production_companies film_festivals film_format story_by character userRating Guy Ritchie 2008-10-03 Jeremy Piven,Thandie Newton,Gerard Butler,Tom Wilkinson,Idris Elba,Ludacris,Gemma Arterton,Mark Strong Guy Ritchie Guy Ritchie,Joel Silver,Susan Levin,Steve Clark-Hall United Kingdom,United States 2008 Toronto International Film Festival -1
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