My 13 Favorite Cinematic Moments Involving Somebody Throwing a Rock

Rocks have played an important part in the history of cinema. When used correctly the rock can be a valuable tool to start a conversation or throw at an alien lizard.

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What I love most about cinematic rock throwing is that it covers all genres. You can throw a rock in any type of film and it will probably make it better (no evidence of this). The list below features several Academy Award winners and cult classics that all expertly utilized picking up hard objects and throwing them.

The following post highlights my 12 favorite moments involving rocks throwing and I hope you enjoy!

Life of Brian

The stoning scene in Life of Brian is a perfect example of rock usage in cinema. The Monty Python crew know how to use accessories (rabbits, swords, rocks) perfectly and the stoning scene is glorious. Whether it be them looking for stoning rocks or hitting the wrong person they’ve perfected the art of the rock throw.

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The Shawshank Redemption 

Andy Dufresne has escaped prison and the warden is in an uproar. He can’t fathom how the guy escaped so he does what any evil warden would do. He starts throwing rocks at Morgan Freeman then chucks a rock through the Raquel Welch poster on Andy’s wall. That tiny rock gives away a hole dug through the wall and it is one of the greatest reveals in cinema history.

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Braveheart

What do you do when challenged by Brendan Gleeson? You let him throw a big rock at you then you pick up a little rock and whack him between the eyes. The rock won a lot of respect.

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The Incredibles

I love when Mr. Incredible infiltrated a secret evil lair and knocked out a henchman with a perfectly thrown rock. He threw the rock about 200 yards and it perfectly dinked off the poor henchman’s head. The Incredibles is loaded with amazing action and monologues but my favorite scene is the rock throw.

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Mom and Dad Save the World

Warrior: This is one of our weapons.

Dad: This is a rock….

Warrior: Exactly! What you do is, raise your arm like so then you throw it (a guy gets knocked unconscious).

Dad: Right…..

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Lord of the Rings

The death of Boromir is the best scene of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It is a fantastic moment involving lots of death and really solid rock throwing. What really impressed me was Merry and Pippin’s throwing arms. They knock out massive beasts with little rocks. Their aim is clinical and they give Boromir enough room to wipe out boatloads of Uruk-hais.

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Forest Gump

Robin Wright’s rock throwing acting is probably the best of the bunch. She unloads with an angry fury and you totally buy into why she does it. Also, Forest ends the scene with the killer line “Sometimes I guess there just aren’t enough rocks.”

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Amelie

Amelie made skipping stones look like art. It is an ambitious shot that says a lot about the character (she climbs things and skips a mean rock).

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It’s a Wonderful Life

“What are you gonna throw a rock?” With this immortal line we are treated to one of the most charming cinematic scenes of all time. It all happened because of a rock (and a great script).

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Tremors

Rocks save lives.  The rocks in Tremors kept people safe and momentarily tricked the Tremors into staying in one place. I’m not sure about Bacon’s throwing arm though.

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Godzilla

Godzilla and his foes throw a lot of rocks. None of them seem to hurt but I love watching rubber suited creatures throw fake rocks at each other.

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The Darjeeling Limited

I love The Darjeeling Limited. You need to watch it. The rock throwing isn’t spectacular but I like that the three brothers actually do something together.

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What cinematic rock throwing do you appreciate?