Watching pistol-packing adversaries shoot each other to bloody bits on film may not be easily defensible from a rational (not to mention moral) standpoint, but, really, who wants to argue with one of life's more harmless disreputable pleasures? Movie shootouts, when done well, are just plain fun.

The aptly titled new action flick "Shoot 'Em Up," starring Clive Owen as a hero protecting an infant from heavily armed baddies, brings a self-aware stance to gunplay by simultaneously mocking and celebrating the irresistible lure of discarded bullet casings and high body counts.

In that trash-embracing spirit, here are our top 11 cinematic gunfights (because 10 is just not enough!). Each one an elaborate set piece so beautifully crafted that labeling them mere "guilty pleasures" would be an insult.