Looking for conflict... in brief movie scenes w/ 2 actors

November 4, 2015 10:04 AM

Hello Metafriends, I'm teaching a class tonight and have blanked out on scenes that have sparse dialogue and take place in a stairwell or parking garage or a hallway (locations we have available). I'm hoping the hive mind could help. Clear conflict and turning points are ideal. Thanks for your thoughts!
posted by demonstartivepapadonous to Media & Arts (33 answers total)

Is a "conflict" an argument or a physical fight (or something else)? Physical fights in parking garages with sparse dialog are going to be a lot easier to come by than impassioned arguments.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:13 AM on November 4, 2015

Well, there's the entirety of Die Hard? If by conflict you mean "John McClane choking a German guy to death with a chain".
posted by selfnoise at 10:13 AM on November 4, 2015 [4 favorites]

Parking garage makes me think of All The President's Men where a number of scenes between Bob Woodward and Deep Throat takes place. Also the television show Better Call Saul had a few scenes inside a garage between Saul and Kim, and at the gate of the garage with Saul and Mike.
posted by cazoo at 10:15 AM on November 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

Does it have to be two actors? The first thing that came to my mind is the hospital stairwell scene in Flight - youtube link - which is pretty important emotional scene in the movie, I think.
posted by cpatterson at 10:15 AM on November 4, 2015

The stairwell scene in A History of Violence overshadows all other stairwell scenes for me.
posted by Jairus at 10:20 AM on November 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

My favorite from Better Call Saul.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:24 AM on November 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

Rooney Mara character's fake suicide attempt in the parking garage in Side Effects.
(Attendant is character #2)
posted by flourpot at 10:25 AM on November 4, 2015

Dogma.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:28 AM on November 4, 2015

Response by poster: Clarification for paper c
Conflict can be internal or external. There doesn't need to be an actual fight, just two people coming together with one wanting something and the other obstructing in some way-- tension. In this case, it helps if it reads as pretty clear and specific.
posted by demonstartivepapadonous at 10:30 AM on November 4, 2015

This one is in a home garage, not a public parking garage, but it otherwise seems like exactly what you want.

Breaking Bad Spoiler Alert
posted by 256 at 10:32 AM on November 4, 2015

Fargo.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:35 AM on November 4, 2015

There's a scene about five minutes from the end of Boiler Room between Vin Diesel and Giovanni Ribisi that would fit the bill almost exactly, from what you say here -- takes place in a stairwell and has "two people coming together with one wanting something and the other obstructing in some way" (with a bit of physical stuff thrown in, but that's not the focus of the scene).
posted by holborne at 10:36 AM on November 4, 2015

This is also pretty great, from Juno, set in a high school hallway.
posted by 256 at 10:37 AM on November 4, 2015

The Martin and Bob scene in Grosse Pointe Blank.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:47 AM on November 4, 2015

The scene is Se7en where John Doe disguised as a journalist speaks to the detectives.
posted by fullerine at 10:49 AM on November 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

X-Files?
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:53 AM on November 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

I love this scene from Get Shorty.

Edited -- just realized you asked for sparse dialogue, so this may not be what you're looking for
posted by Mchelly at 10:59 AM on November 4, 2015

Julianne Moore in Safe!
posted by modesty.blaise at 11:00 AM on November 4, 2015

Italian Job.
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:04 AM on November 4, 2015

The rape scene in The Sopranos third-season episode "Employee of the Month".
posted by hollyholly at 11:14 AM on November 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

The halfway decent horror film P2 is set in a parking garage. (YTtrailer)
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:16 AM on November 4, 2015

Does it have to specifically be a hallway, or just hallway-like? The pipe scene in The Fugitive came to mind, though it might be TOO brief..
posted by Erasmouse at 11:20 AM on November 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

Into the Night. The two main characters meet when Michelle Pfeiffer jumps onto the hood of Jeff Goldblum's car in a parking garage. International shenanigans ensue.
posted by archimago at 11:34 AM on November 4, 2015

Sparse dialog here: Sopranos.
posted by jeffamaphone at 11:37 AM on November 4, 2015

Fight Club
posted by kookywon at 12:21 PM on November 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

The scene from Rocky where Mickey offers to manage him is pretty classic.
posted by mattamatic at 12:35 PM on November 4, 2015

Parking garage, you say? How about the opening scene in Highlander?
posted by ODiV at 12:42 PM on November 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm baffled no one has mentioned the legendary Sunglasses Scuffle from They Live.
posted by FatherDagon at 1:41 PM on November 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

It's TV, but there's a whole Seinfeld episode that takes place in a parking garage, and a number of scenes with just two male characters.
posted by jabes at 1:42 PM on November 4, 2015

I'm thinking of scenes in european-style railroad carriages. There must be hundreds. Maybe something in From Rissia With Love or Murder On The Orient Express. Also, The Stanboul Train.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:29 PM on November 4, 2015

There's a turning point in a stairwell scene about 3/4 of the way through The Color of Money. (Eddie's just been taken by the hustler and breaks up with Vincent and Carmen.) There's three parts technically, but Carmen's is minor here and could be edited out easily. Might not count as sparse dialogue, though.
posted by stebulus at 11:23 PM on November 4, 2015

It's pretty low key but the scene on the train between James Bond and Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale fits the bill and could be adapted into a parking garage or hallway.
posted by PenDevil at 11:54 PM on November 4, 2015

Response by poster: Beautiful suggestions, folks. Really great stuff. Thanks!
posted by demonstartivepapadonous at 9:12 PM on November 5, 2015