[Eomer of the Rohirrim]

HC, I see your point about the squabbling of the Orcs. But in the books it was a case of too many leaders rather than not enough. It would also have worked.<P>I would also dispute your claim that Lurtz's death at the hands of Aragorn worked better than Ugluk's death at the hands of the Rohirrim. I know the fight between the Rohirrim and the Uruk-hai was very disorganised in the film. It would still have been great to see the two leaders going at it one-on-one, with Eomer slaying Ugluk as a finale.<P>You mention how the small-scale battle would not have been as personal as Aragorn vs Lurtz. However, I think that, following Boromir's mortal wounds, the payoff for the audience was too soon. Instead of going off to find the Hobbits, Aragorn would then be going of to find the Hobbits PLUS avenging the death of Boromir, increasing (if only slightly) the effect of the cliffhanger. I know that, in the end, Aragorn didn't get at the Orc, but the audience isn't to know this. Anyway, the guy who did get the Orc turned out to be fast friends with Aragorn.<P>In the film, the audience went through this thought process.<P>1) I hope that Orc gets his comeuppance.<P>and about 5 seconds later....<P>2) Oh, there it is!<P>Over and done with too quickly for my liking. But then, I do love a good revenge story! So while I see your point about an immediate payoff for the Boromir fans, I still prefer the way Tolkien made it.