Best film with no weapons (guns/knives/swords etc.)?

26-01-2016 8:59am #1

It is surprising, when you think about it, how few films do not have weapons of any kind in them.

Looking at the IMDB Top 250, only 1 of the 25 highest rated films does not have a gun, knife or sword in it – One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (unless it has one I can't remember). Some even have weapons on their posters.

If you had to name some great films which do not have a weapon of any kind of them, which ones would you choose?

Liam McPoyle · 26-01-2016 9:27am

[Deleted User] wrote: »

It is surprising, when you think about it, how few films do not have weapons of any kind in them.

Looking at the IMDB Top 250, only 1 of the 25 highest rated films does not have a gun, knife or sword in it – One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (unless it has one I can't remember). Some even have weapons on their posters.

If you had to name some great films which do not have a weapon of any kind of them, which ones would you choose?

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.

26-01-2016 9:46am

Business Cat wrote: »

Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.

Unless you count a cap gun.

ballyargus · 26-01-2016 9:55am

Who has a gun in citizen Kane

jacksie66 · 26-01-2016 9:57am

This post has been deleted.

Second Toughest in_the Freshers · 26-01-2016 10:00am

Finding Nemo

johnny_ultimate · 26-01-2016 11:19am

I wouldn't consider 'no weaponry' cinema a particularly unique thing. The ubiquity of weapons is easily understandable from a dramatic point - a dangerous item is one of the easiest, most universal ways to advance a narrative or add tension, particularly in popular genres such as horror, thrillers or action movies (to name but three). In other genres again - war films, police dramas, samurai films - the presence of weapons is near essential from a historical or contextual perspective. At the same time, though, there's other genres where weapons are naturally uncommon - kids movies or romantic comedies/dramas being the most obvious examples.

Still, even beyond that, I think there's plenty of films where weapons are either non-existent or incredibly fleeting. In fact, if I think of the films I'd usually be inclined to list as my 'favourites' - Playtime, My Neighbour Totoro, Persona, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Tokyo Story - are all weapon-free. If I'm mistaken there it's definitely only a fleeting appearance of anything potentially deadly!

I was going to include Lost in Translation on that list above, but it features a toy pellet gun. I'm inclined to give that one a pass too

dan1895 · 26-01-2016 11:40am

E.T. The version where they edited out all the weapons.

Serious answer; The Lion King.

Skylinehead · 26-01-2016 1:16pm

dan1895 wrote: »

Serious answer; The Lion King.

Claws are kinda knives

Tipsy McSwagger · 26-01-2016 4:04pm

Glengarry Glen Ross

A masterpiece in fine acting

e_e · 26-01-2016 4:09pm

My Dinner With Andre

Hell it even breaks Godard's rule of having a gun AND a girl.

Bizarro Stormy · 26-01-2016 4:10pm

Kes

Bizarro Stormy · 26-01-2016 4:11pm

e_e wrote: »

My Dinner With Andre

Hell it even breaks Godard's rule of having a gun AND a girl.

As does My Dinner with Andre the Giant

loyatemu · 26-01-2016 4:14pm

ballyargus wrote: »

Who has a gun in citizen Kane

there's a big shootout towards the end, Kane standing on a desk with a glock in each hand, big cigar in his mouth. He escapes in a chopper eventually.

e_e · 26-01-2016 5:13pm

loyatemu wrote: »

there's a big shootout towards the end, Kane standing on a desk with a glock in each hand, big cigar in his mouth. He escapes in a chopper eventually.

It's well noted that Arnie plagiarized "get to da choppa!" from a deleted Citizen Kane scene.