50 Greatest Movie Teams

The Earps & Doc Holliday – Tombstone (1993)

The Team: Comprised of retired gunslinging brothers The Earps and Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), who are implored by the town of Tombstone, Arizona to get rid of nuisance outlaws the Cowboys.

Key Member: Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell), who arrests Cowboys leader ‘Curly Bill’ Brocius (Powers Boothe) after he’s shot the Tombstone marshal.

Greatest Team Work: The gunfight at the O.K. Corral sees the Earps facing off against the Cowboys – with tragic results.

Dutch & Commandos – Predator (1987)

The Team: A commando unit led by the imposing Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger).

They’re sent in to free hostages from violent guerrillas in Central America.

Key Member: Dutch aside, there’s also George Dillon (Carl Weathers), whose guns are almost as impressive as Dutch’s.

Greatest Team Work: The unit’s early attack on the rebel encampment is an impressive demonstration of their power – and fearlessness in battle.

Shame most of them are butchered by the Predator.

The Fellowship – Lord Of The Rings (2001-2003)

The Team: Consisting of various Middle-earth species – including hobbits, wizards and elves.

They’re charged with transporting the One Ring to Mount Doom, where Frodo (Elijah Wood) will cast it into the lava.

Key Member: Sam (Sean Astin). Frodo’s trusted friend and comrade, Sam’s there for Frodo through the darkest, bleakest moments of the quest.

Greatest Team Work: The fact that Frodo even makes it to Mount Doom in the end is a testament to the various parts that each member of the Fellowship plays in the world-wide battle against Sauron.

Manassas Tigers – Undefeated (2011)

The Team: High school Memphis football team the Manassas Tigers, who attempt to win the new football season despite years of losing.

Key Member: Bill Courtney, the team’s hopeful coach.

He’s more than just a coach to these guys, fathering them throughout the school year and attempting to teach them how to be men.

Greatest Team Work: The first time the Tigers win a game.

It’ll bring a tear to your eye.

Deadly Viper Assassination Squad – Kill Bill (2003)

The Team: Elite assassins employed by Bill (David Carradine), and consisting of Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu) and Bud (Michael Madsen).

Key Member: Oh, that team also used to consist of The Bride (Uma Thurman), who ‘betrayed’ Bill by trying to marry another man.

Bill shoots her in the head and leaves her for dead.

Greatest Team Work: The only time we see the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad in action together is when they attack the church where The Bride is about to get married.

Let’s just say it gets messy.

Job done, then. Ish.

The 300 – 300 (2006)

The Team: Six-packed Spartan soldiers led by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) against Persian ‘god-King’ Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro).

Key Member : Dilios (David Wenham), who narrates the entire story.

Greatest Team Work: A series of battles between the 300 and Xerxes’ formidable forces, including the Immortals and, yes, war elephants.

Space Marines – Aliens (1986)

The Team: A squadron of no-nonsense marines shipped off to LV-426 with space survivor Ripley (Sigourney Weaver).

But are they just pawns in Carter Burke’s (Paul Reiser) twisted bounty board game?

Key Member: It’s a testament to the film that all the marines are memorable.

Most of all, though, Private Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein) kicks serious booty and lives up to her demand – “I only need to know one thing. Where. They. Are.”

Greatest Team Work: The marines enter the xenomorph nest in the atmosphere processing station on LV-426.

Sure, a load of them are slaughtered, but these guys (and gals) are nothing if not brave.

Inglourious Basterds – Inglourious Basterds (2009)

The Team: A convoy of Jewish-American soldiers spearheaded by the moustache-happy First Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Pitt).

His mission statement? Every Basterd owes him 100 Nazi scalps.

Key Member: It’s got to be Raine, though Eli Roth’s ‘Bear Jew’ is a pretty nutty fella (why not beat someone to death with a baseball bat, before bellowing random sports nonsense?).

Why Raine? Well, he’s the leader, but he also has the guts to double-cross the scariest fella in the film.

Greatest Team Work: Raine, Donny (Roth) and Omar (Omar Doom) head to Shosanna’s (Mélanie Laurent) cinema to carry out their Nazi-killing scheme…

Mutants – X-Men (2000)

The Team: Professor X’s (Patrick Stewart) melange of mutants, including Cyclops (James Marsden), Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), Storm (Halle Berry) and – begrudgingly – Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).

Key Member: Wolverine’s the hero of this tale – a growly lone wolf who comes through in the end.

Greatest Team Work: Sabotaging Magneto’s plans, the X-Men manage to save the humans from a sticky end despite being incapacitated in the Statue of Liberty.

2nd Ranger Battalion – Saving Private Ryan (1998)

The Team: A battalion of eight soldiers led by Captain John H. Miller (Tom Hanks). Their mission?

Track down missing paratrooper Private First Class James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon).

Key Member: Timothy E. Upham (Jeremy Davies), who’s both a cartographer and fluent in French and German.

Handy.

Greatest Team Work: After finding Private Ryan, Miller and his battalion defend a bridge from the Germans.

Cue mass casualities and a heck of a lot of bravery.