History MoralEventHorizon / LiveActionFilms

* ''Film/CarlitosWay'': Carlito Brigante (as narrator) provides the quote at the top of the page in reference to his lawyer, David Kleinfeld.

** Also, [[TheDragon Captain Byron T. Hadley]] crossed this when he threatened to throw Andy off the roof and [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident pretend Andy fell off.]] Beating up the emotionally-overwhelmed inmate at the start of the film could be excused by claiming he did it to deter other prisoners from making noise, but his later threat has no excuse.

** Also, [[TheDragon Byron Hadley]] crossed this when he threatened to throw Andy off the roof and [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident pretend Andy fell off.]] Beating up the emotionally-overwhelmed inmate earlier on could be excused by claiming he did it to deter other prisoners from making noise, but his later threat has no excuse.

* [[BigBad Warden Samuel Norton]] is cold and corrupt, but not generally unreasonable. He even becomes somewhat chummy with hero Andy Dufresne after he begins doing financial work for the prison. But when he [[spoiler:orders the [[DeathByAdaptation death of Tommy Williams]] to ensure that Andy will never have his name cleared -- even in the original novella, he settled for having Tommy transferred to another, less strict prison --]] he crosses the point of no return.

* Warden Norton in ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption'' is cold and corrupt, but not generally unreasonable. He even becomes somewhat chummy with hero Andy Dufresne after he begins doing financial work for the prison. But when he [[spoiler:orders the [[DeathByAdaptation death of Tommy]] to ensure that Andy will never have his name cleared -- even in the original novella, he settled for having Tommy transferred to another, less strict prison --]] he crosses the point of no return.

** [[BigBad Edwin Epps]] crossed it numerous times throughout the movie, such as [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raping Patsey]] and his callous disregard towards his slaves' lives. The most evil things that Epps did were spurred by [[DisproportionateRetribution sheer pettiness]], such as chasing Northup with a knife when he heard him talk to Patsey and [[spoiler: forcing Northup to whip Patsey while threatening to shoot him and the other slaves if he didn't. When Northup is [[MyGodWhatHaveDone overwhelmed with guilt]], Epps snatches away the whip and beats the poor woman until her back is covered in Gorn.]]

*** Because that's where he ''starts''. It's practically his only scene and it's how we're introduced both to his character and to Precious herself. You can't cross a line if you ''started'' on the other side; Mary, for all her other monstrous qualities, is shown to have (however, briefly) actually loved Precious very much when she was a little girl.

*** Carmine Falcone crosses it by hiring a hitwoman disguised as a reporter to [[KickTheSonOfABitch ice Joe Chill]], and when Bruce confronts him about it, he casually taunts him before eighty-sixing him.

* In ''Film/{{The Phantom|1996}}'', the BigBad, Xander Drax, seems to be AffablyEvil at first (being played by Treat Williams helps), but slides into FauxAffablyEvil territory in the scene where he punishes a librarian who unwittingly leaked the research he was doing for Drax to a reporter. Drax has the hapless man examine something under a microscope...which has [[EyeScream retractable blades hidden in the eyepieces]]. As the victim screams piteously in agony, Drax ''laughs'', snaps his glasses in half, and says, "Well, won't be needing ''these'' anymore!"

* ''Film/KillersOfTheFlowerMoon'': You can argue [[VillainProtagonist Ernest Burkhart]] crossed it at the [[EstablishingCharacterMoment beginning of the film when he starts robbing the Osage people]], but by the time he poisons his own wife, he is [[CompleteMonster completely irredeemable]]. Mollie's utter contempt for him in their last scene together shows she knows this.

* [[TheSociopath Amon Goeth]] from ''Film/SchindlersList'' crosses this line within the first hour of the movie, and he's definitely crossed it later on when he [[ForTheEvulz shoots prisoners for sport with a sniper rifle]].

* [[AbusiveParent Richard]] [[TheAlcoholic Detmer]] from ''Film/{{Chronicle}}'', constantly takes his anger and stress on his son Andrew by berating him and accusing him of being selfish. Even though [[TheHypocrite Richard himself]] constantly spends money on alcohol instead of looking after his [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes sick wife]] (Which he claims to love but spends time getting drunk). If there ever existed any shred of decency of Richard, it was long gone when he blames Andrew, (who's comatose mind you!) for his wife's death and tries ''punching him on the hospital bed'', [[BullyingADragon but Andrew suddenly catches his arm, followed by an explosion]].

** In the second movie ''Film/MagnumForce,'' the [[VigilanteMan death]] [[KillerCop squad]] headed by [[spoiler:Briggs]] cross the horizon when they [[spoiler: kill Charlie [=McCoy=] when fleeing the scene of their most recent vigilante killing.]] That was after the corrupt cops had already killed innocent party-goers at the mobster's pool party and the harmless mooks at Guzman's place.

** Mr. Christian crossed it by having the snuff film made simply because [[ForTheEvulz he has the]] [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney money to do so.]]

* In ''Film/IpMan'', Colonel Sato loses any chance of being sympathetic when he [[spoiler:coldly guns down Master Liu]]. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Even his superior,]] [[FourStarBadass General Miura]], doesn't take it well.

** ''Film/{{Goldfinger}}'': The titular BigBad has a knack of crossing lines, such as poisoning an army barracks and the surrounding town -- 60,000 people ([[AMillionIsAStatistic he shrugs this off]] [[ButForMeItWasTuesday by saying that motorists kill as much in two years]]) -- and then detonating a nuclear device in Fort Knox to trigger a major economic crisis for his own profit. Or when he kills his assistant Jill Masterson, who becomes a BondGirl and costs him a rigged card game, by having her murdered with golden paint. Or when he kills Tilly Masterson for trying to avenge the murder of her sister Jill. Or when he kills the assembled mobsters who wanted to take part in Goldfinger's EvilPlan.

** ''Film/LicenceToKill'': Franz Sanchez has made a career of crossing lines, but his most notable one was having Felix Leiter's wife raped and killed by Dario, his [[TheDragon Dragon]], while feeding Leiter's legs to a shark. Another possible contender is when he [[ATasteOfTheLash brutally whips]] [[WouldHitAGirl his mistress, Lupe Lamora]], with a stingray-tail whip as a punishment for infidelity and orders his top henchman Dario to remove the heart of the man she has slept with.

** Franz Oberhauser/[[spoiler:Ernst Stavro Blofeld]] was revealed to have crossed it 20 years before the events of ''Film/{{Spectre}}'', [[spoiler:when he committed {{Patricide}} because [[TheResenter he]] [[DrivenByEnvy hated the attention]] that Bond received after Franz's father took him in.]] He only got worse from there by staging [[spoiler:all the tragedies Bond faced since ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006'' to the point of rubbing it in his face and trying to kidnap Madeleine Swann in the climax of ''Spectre'']] as part of his plan to psychologically weaken Bond's morale.

** Wah Sing Ku in the fourth movie crosses it when he [[NeckSnap strangles Hong]] to get his uncle to cooperate. Then he kills his uncle [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness after the counterfeit plates are completed]] and Uncle Benny [[YouHaveFailedMe for revealing]] [[HeKnowsTooMuch too much information]].

* In ''Film/OnDeadlyGround'', BigBad [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Jennings]] crosses when he has an elderly employee, Hugh, tortured to death for whistleblowing on him. And yet, the [[DisproportionateRetribution sheer]] [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill lengths]] [[DesignatedHero the protagonist]] goes to in order to get revenge means some viewers still [[RootingForTheEmpire root for the guy]].

* Tony Montana from ''Film/{{Scarface 1983}}'' may have crossed either this or the DespairEventHorizon when he gunned down [[spoiler:Manny Ribera]] for [[spoiler:getting too friendly with Tony's sister Gina]], though he does subliminally regret the action toward the end of the film. Sosa's hitman, however, ''does'' cross the line unambiguously by insisting on blowing up Gutierrez's wife and kids with him when they get into the same car he's driving. [[EvenEvilHasStandards Tony takes offense and]] [[PetTheDog Pets The Dog]] [[AssholeVictim in a spectacularly gory fashion]] ''at the last second.''

* [[TheSociopath Amon]] [[CompleteMonster Goeth]] from ''Film/SchindlersList'' crosses this line within the first hour of the movie, and he's definitely crossed it later on when he [[ForTheEvulz shoots prisoners for sport with a sniper rifle]].

* Viktor in ''Film/UnderworldRiseOfTheLycans'' shows just how firm his [[FantasticRacism anti-Lycan]] [[TheFundamentalist fundamentalism]] is when [[spoiler:he votes "aye" to his ''own daughter's'' execution, thus sealing the unanimous vote against her.]] Though he does it remorsefully, he cements it by blaming it all on [[spoiler:Lucian for impregnating her]], rather than himself for dealing out the punishment. Is it any wonder that you'd be polarized concerning the vampires and Lycans if you saw this installment in addition to one of the first two?

** The Orphanage Headmaster from ''Film/Deadpool2'' is above the line when it's shown that he [[WouldHurtAChild ruthlessly tortures the mutant children in his care]] [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain out of sheer prejudice]]. Even worse, it's even implied that he also ''[[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil sexually harasses them]]''. His death by Dopinder's taxi is totally deserved.

* ''Film/KillersOfTheFlowerMoon'': You can argue Ernest Burkhart crossed it at the [[Main/EstablishingCharacterMoment beginning of the film when he starts robbing the Osage people]], but by the time he poisons his own wife, he is [[CompleteMonster completely irredeemable]]. Mollie's utter contempt for him in their last scene together shows she knows this.

* Amon Goeth from ''Film/SchindlersList'' crosses this line within the first hour of the movie, and he's definitely crossed it when he [[ForTheEvulz shoots prisoners for sport with a sniper]].

* ''Film/KillersOfTheFlowerMoon'': You can argue Ernest crossed it at the [[Main/EstablishingCharacterMoment beginning of the film when he starts robbing the Osage people]], but by the time he poisons his own wife, he is [[CompleteMonster completely irredeemable]]. Mollie's utter contempt for him in their last scene together shows she knows this.

** MoralEventHorizon/StarWars

** ''Film/Aquaman2018'': Orm crosses it when he kills a rival faction's envoy [[DisproportionateRetribution simply for refusing to join him in his attempt to stop Arthur from reclaiming his rightful place as king]].

* ''Film/WenntTheDayWell'': Wilson and the German paratroopers are initially just soldiers on a mission, however ruthless they are, but their attempt to execute five children to punish an escape attempt is utterly beyond the pale.

** ''Film/BlueBeetle2023'': Victoria Kord crosses it when she has her mercenaries attack the Reyes' family home to get to Jaime and the Scarab.

* Wong Hoi from ''Film/TheKiller'' crosses this when he betrays Ah Jong, just because the latter is spotted by the police during the hit against his nephew. And if that wasn't enough, later on in the film, [[spoiler:he savagely beats Fung Sei, Ah Jong's handler]], and [[spoiler:takes Jenny hostage in the ending after killing the priest trying to bring her out of the church]].

* ''Film/ThePatriot'': If Col. Tavington didn't cross it already by ordering the execution of wounded soldiers or killing Benjamin's son in front of him and his other children, he certainly did with three words: [[spoiler:"Burn the church."]]

* ''Film/DeadLands'': While it was not unusual for pre-colonial Maori to massacre entire tribes, the villain Wirepa crosses the moral event horizon by betraying and murdering his former allies.