The Return of the King - when the Rohirrim arrive at Pelennor Fields and Theoden rallies them for the final charge. There's so much emotion in that scene that it still gets to me... from their initial despair at facing such a vast, inhuman horde, to Theoden's grim determination to make a proud, defiant strike even if it's hopeless, to the passion and courage that drives the riders to charge - and break - the lines of the enemy even though they're vastly outnumbered.

For me, there's just something supernatural about this sequence that sets it apart from anything else I've seen in a movie. It's a beautiful scene, but also filled with the blunt brutality of close combat. It also demonstrates what might be called 'pure courage' - doing the right thing, for the right reason, even though you mightn't have a chance of succeeding. Unlike other war movies, it's not about politics or territory, about men killing each other for money; it's about the simple fight for survival and for a future. A motivation that's far easier to connect with and appreciate, compared with most similar scenes.