By the Numbers: 5 of the Most Expensive Movie Shootouts

Editor's Note: Best Companys in no way defends, endorses, condones, or seeks to glorify gun violence in any way, shape, or form. The following article is meant only to entertain and inform readers of the estimated cost of the equipment alluded to in the following films. Enjoy!

Now first, a couple of ground rules. Calculating the exact number of rounds fired in these movie scenes is nearly impossible for a couple of reasons: 1) they all feature gunfire from several shooters and 2) movies are not always truthful as to the real capacity of a given firearm's magazine (for example, a shooter with a six-round revolver can effectively shoot off eight rounds before he's required to reload). Consequently, this analysis assumes that all shooters have emptied their magazines or cartridges - unless it's obvious that they have not.

For firearm types that appear in these movies and their images, we referred to the Internet Movie Firearm Database, a wiki site dedicated to all movie gunfights. Next, when it comes to the actual prices, we look for just how much money a given firearm or ammo type would go for today; in fact, we were able to find information on nearly every firearm by searching the companies reviewed on this site. And when possible, we try to identify a single scene that exhibits the widest array of firearms used and the most shots fired.

And as a point of clarification, including the caliber of the bullets "fired" does not mean actual bullets were fired during the making of these movies; rather, this metric only serves to show how much all that wasted ammunition would cost in real life.

And now, without further adieu, here are the numbers:

Last Man Standing, Bar Shootout: $17,305.80

First on our list is a short two-minute scene from the 1996 movie Last Man Standing starring Bruce Willis. While this movie is more or less a small part of the continuous shootout that is Mr. Willis's career, we feel the particular scene featuring a shootout at a bar will give you a taste to just how expensive a scene like this would actually be:

The Matrix, Lobby Scene: $36,043.52

Say what you will about the later installments to this franchise, but The Matrix truly represents a shift in how American cinema approached traditional action movies. While it is mostly know for Neo's (played by Keanu Reeves) slow-motion, bullet-dodging back bend, the scene that precedes that franchise-making snapshot features quite a bit of gunfire - and we have the price tag to prove it:

Scarface, "Say hello to my little friend": $58,303.02

While the final shootout of the 1983 Al Pacino movie is only a few minutes long, it remains one of the most iconic scenes of both Pacino's career and movie history. Pacino's line, "Say hello to my little friend!" has been mimicked, parodied, and meme-ified for over 30 years, and the movie still remains a cult classic.

Hard Boiled, Hospital Scene: $78,928.74

Considered one of the foremost action movie directors of all time, John Woo has created some of the most visually stunning and technically difficult gun fights of the 1990s. His film Hard Boiled is certainly no exception. Following the story of two police detectives and their effort to thwart a plethora of mobsters, the action comes to a head in a hospital, where the bullets (and the price tag) fly sky high.

Black Hawk Down, Air Support: $1,036,400

If we're being honest, Black Hawk Down is one of the more painfully accurate war movies of all time. Detailing the events surrounding the Battle of Mogadishu, the movie presents nearly all of its dialogue with an undertone of gunfire. And as this is a military movie, you can expect the equipment to be top-of-the-line. While the movie is more or less one continuous firefight, we've identified the scene in which the American soldiers enlist the aid of two helicopters as being a particularly expensive two-plus minutes.

Admittedly, this is neither a perfect or a comprehensive list. If you don't see a movie that you think should be on this list, leave your comment below, and we'll be sure to include that movie in subsequent articles.