Kurt Russell is one of Hollywood's most revered and successful talents, with dozens of movie
performances that truly rank as iconic. Before he returns to our screens for some more holly
jolly hijinks as Santa Claus in The Christmas Chronicles 2, here's a look back at some of
the most iconic movie moments of Kurt Russell's career.
Every scene in John Carpenter's 1982 horror classic The Thing is incredible. The movie
centers on an Antarctic research team that comes under attack by a shape-shifting extraterrestrial
after it's unearthed by a neighboring research facility. In the film, Russell stars as helicopter
pilot R.J. MacReady, who takes hostile control after the creature begins to assimilate several
of the scientists.
MacReady uses a flamethrower to extinguish several of his former colleagues after they
are overtaken by the Thing, and, eventually, he decides to detonate the entire station
to destroy the creature and prevent its spread to the rest of human civilization. There are
lots of action packed moments, but it's the relatively somber final exchange that continues
to haunt audiences nearly four decades later. As the station burns to embers, MacReady is
alone and freezing when Keith David's character, Childs, returns to the site.
"Where were you, Childs?"
"Thought I saw Blair. I went out after him. Got lost in the storm."
As they continue to talk, it's clear that neither MacReady nor Childs trust that the
other is who they say they are -- or that they have any ambition of surviving their
circumstances. The scene epitomizes the governing sense of dread and paranoia that the Thing
has caused them, and the ultimate hopelessness of their situation.
"Well, what do we do?"
"Why don't we just wait here for a little while, see what happens."
Russell has been at the center of many amazing action films, not the least of which is John
Carpenter's 1986 martial arts comedy Big Trouble in Little China. In the film, Russell stars
as truck driver Jack Burton, who becomes entangled in a wild rescue effort after his friend's
fiancée is abducted by a gang.
"Ah, you know what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like this?"
"Who?"
"Jack Burton. Me."
In one pivotal fight scene, Jack finally faces off with James Hong's character David Lo Pan,
a magical master who commands three warriors with weather-related powers.
Things don't seem to be going well for Jack after he throws a knife at Lo Pan and totally
misses the mark. However, we soon discover this was simply Jack's way of getting Lo Pan
to release his hostage, because Jack Burton can definitely handle a knife.
"Goodbye, Mr. Burton."
That's badass enough, but it's Russell's one-liner that solidifies this moment as a keeper on
Russell's highlight reel.
"It's all in the reflexes."
In Ron Howard's 1991 action classic Backdraft, Russell stars as the conflicted Chicago firefighter
Stephen "Bull" McCaffrey, who has experienced personal tragedy in his line of work and at
home. When a series of arson cases brings his own department under fire, Bull sets to
work trying to find out who could cause so much devastation. He eventually discovers
that only someone with deep knowledge of firefighting would be able to create such deadly backdrafts
- and the investigation ultimately leads him to his longtime mentor, Scott Glenn's John
"Axe" Adcox.
In one distinctly gutting scene, Bull confronts Axe at a chemical plant, and his worst suspicions
are confirmed about the man who helped raise him after his father's untimely death. Despite
all the destruction and harm he has caused, though, when a catwalk is destroyed in the
ongoing inferno, Bull tries to save Adcox. Their bond is so strong that he refuses to
release Adcox's hand even as he loses his own grip on safety.
"Let me go, Bull."
"You go, we go."
Another classic collaboration between Russell and director John Carpenter came by way of
1981's Escape from New York and the 1996 sequel Escape from L.A. In both films, Russell plays
Snake Plissken, a former Special Forces soldier who turned to a life of crime, and is then
forced by the government to infiltrate their own city-sized prisons. Both films are over-the-top,
fun, and gloriously cheesy.
"Nobody draws until this hits the ground. You ready?"
"Draw."
But even across two movies filled with ridiculous moments, it's hard to forget one particular
scene from the second film, which easily ranks among the most uniquely '80s movie moments
ever - even though Escape from L.A. came out in the mid-90s. After getting flushed through
the sewers to the outskirts of L.A., Snake runs into an old pal, Pipeline, played by
Peter Fonda. And wouldn't you know, Pipeline is just about to surf a tsunami into the city,
giving Snake a way to get right back to his mission in the most radical way possible.
"You gotta be kidding me."
"Later…"
Before Team U.S.A.'s men's hockey squad captured the gold in the 1980 Winter Olympics and became
a point of pride for generations, coach Herb Brooks had to work hard to get his players
into the right mindset for victory. That effort was memorably dramatized in the 2004 sports
biopic Miracle, which featured Russell as the spitfire coach who managed to lead his
team to victory over the heavily favored Soviet team during the "Miracle on Ice."
One of the most searing scenes of the movie comes when Herb realizes that his players
are not living up to his expectation that they unite under the Team U.S.A. banner. That's
when he forces them back onto the ice for a grueling and seemingly endless new practice
cycle after a tied exhibition game. Even after the lights are cut off at the rink and the
players are becoming physically ill, he makes them keep running drills.
"Hey. Again."
Finally, one player stands up and says the words that he's been waiting for all along.
"Who do you play for?"
"I play for the United States of America…"
"That's all gentlemen."
It's an intensely satisfying moment that gets audiences buttoned up for the heart-swelling
achievements to follow in the rest of the film. But it might make you never want to
hear a whistle again.
"Again! Again!"
"Alright, that's enough of that. It's going back in the box."
It takes a long time for Kurt Russell's celestial villain Ego to reveal his true nature in Marvel's
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. But once he does, all bets are off. In the film's climactic
third act, Ego reveals that his humanoid form is nothing more than a manipulation and that
he has spread his seed across the universe in hopes of creating a second, similarly powerful
being that can access his celestial power. Chris Pratt's Peter Quill is his first success,
which means all of the skeletons on Ego's planet belonged to Peter's long lost half-siblings
who just didn't make the cut.
But wait, it gets darker. When Quill asks about his mother, Ego reveals that he did
indeed love her, but he also condemned her to the tragedy that has haunted Quill his
entire life.
"The reason for my very existence would be over, so I did what I had to do. But it broke
my heart to put that tumor in her head."
That's when Quill finally decides to fight back. But fortunately, after all those downer
revelations, the Guardians' big showdown with Ego begins with a delightfully bizarre transformation.
"I tried so hard to find the form that best suited you, and this is the thanks I get."
It's safe to say nobody saw that coming, and it's honestly one of the most gratifying surprises
in the film.
Kurt Russell's Santa Claus has a tough task ahead of him in 2018's The Christmas Chronicles.
The Christmas Spirit is dwindling, and Ole' Saint Nick finds himself behind bars after
a reindeer roundup mission gone wrong. Santa has some tricks up his sleeves, though, because
he's had the arresting officer, played by Martin Roach, on his list for quite some time.
The interrogation that follows is anything but ordinary as Santa reveals that he knows
exactly what the policeman really wants for Christmas this year.
"Okay then, smart guy, what do I want?
"Lisa."
"Lisa. Your ex wife."
"Yeah I know who Lisa is."
The entire interrogation manages to be both hilarious and heartwarming, proving
that Santa Claus might just be the perfect role for Kurt Russell. Who knew?
"Christmas spirit is already down to 31 percent. The longer I stay in here the lower it's gonna
go. And the lower it goes it means that people are going to start acting cranky. Depressed.
Angry."
This exchange showcases the dynamic range Russell is capable of, similar to the countless
other iconic performances he's given over the course of his legendary career.
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