Best Movie Fight Scenes: Ass-Kicking 101

[Ohwell]

Whenever the movie Troy comes on, I never miss the awesome sword fight between Hector and Achilles. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf4IoxEUmHM

Edited June 1, 2014 by Ohwell

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Drug Lab Fight/The Raid: Still LOL at how it began, with the rookie tossing a guy on a pile of junk.

 

Then all hell broke loose, to an awesome soundtrack.

 

Colquin vs. Boyd/Ravenous: Both actors got down and dirty, simply beating the shit out of each other. No stunt doubles.

 

Fassy vs. Gina Carano/Haywire: Am I the only one, who thinks he looked be enjoying every second of that ass beating?

 

Bruce Willis vs. Karl Urban/RED: Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle"  fit that scene perfectly.

[Rick Kitchen]

The worst part about that Willis and Urban scene is that Urban is, when it comes down to it, a good guy.  I would love to see a movie based on his character.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Rick Kitchen

[Brooklynista]

Ah man! Does it have to be a movie? Best fight scene for me is between Family Guy's Peter Griffin and the giant chicken. They battle for damn near half the episode. It's a classic.

[Jamoche]

And for goofy fun, Leeloo beating up a bunch of Mangalores, to the accompaniment of the squid opera singer, in The Fifth Element.

One of the few fight scenes that has cuts to another scene that works. (Gives major stink-eye to the Star Wars prequel which kept cutting between Yoda/Palpatine and Anakin/Obi-Wan at the worst possible moment. Maybe we also need a "Worst Fight Scene" thread.)

[Danny Franks]

Whenever the movie Troy comes on, I never miss the awesome sword fight between Hector and Achilles. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf4IoxEUmHM

 

A shining moment in a not-very-good movie, but I always find myself wishing Achilles spared Hector, changed sides, and they teamed up to defeat Agamemnon. I liked the choreography for the spears, in particular, because it gave me a good idea of how they would have been used by ancient warriors, before they really became anti-cavalry weapons. I also enjoyed Achilles preening and posing, even in the midst of the duel.

 

One of the few fight scenes that has cuts to another scene that works. (Gives major stink-eye to the Star Wars prequel which kept cutting between Yoda/Palpatine and Anakin/Obi-Wan at the worst possible moment. Maybe we also need a "Worst Fight Scene" thread.)

 

 

It works perfectly, I agree. Besson has a great eye for that sort of thing, and the gaudy, over-the-top feel that the movie had was summed up so well in that scene. It's got a very music video quality to it, and Leeloo looks like such a fucking hero throughout.

 

The Star Wars prequels really over-egged the lightsaber duels, to the point that they just became dull and silly. Less is really more and, although I did like the choreography of Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul in the first movie, it did look too much like choreography and too little like a real fight. Especially considering Obi-Wan was supposed to be enraged by the death of Liam Neeson (can't remember his character's name). The fights in those movies say nothing about either character, they don't tell any emotional story, despite the limp attempts to, like with Anakin vs Christopher Lee (can't remember his character's name either). And without that emotional connection, they fall as flat as the rest of the movies.

[Ohwell]

A shining moment in a not-very-good movie, but I always find myself wishing Achilles spared Hector, changed sides, and they teamed up to defeat Agamemnon. I liked the choreography for the spears, in particular, because it gave me a good idea of how they would have been used by ancient warriors, before they really became anti-cavalry weapons. I also enjoyed Achilles preening and posing, even in the midst of the duel.

I wished that Achilles and Hector had teamed up, too.  Achilles had some awesome moves though.  I especially liked his signature move where he would leap up in the air at an angle, and then come down on the opponent with his sword (or spear?).

[ribboninthesky1]

Whenever the movie Troy comes on, I never miss the awesome sword fight between Hector and Achilles. 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf4IoxEUmHM

 

Hector! And his wonderful hair! *silent tears* 

 

Hector and Achilles seemed to be the only men with any sense at all in the film, so yeah, it would have been nice if they teamed up to defeat Agamemnon, and then unceremoniously unseat dumb ass King Priam as well.  He was as stupid and ridiculous as Paris.  And then they could have ruled all Greece along with their women, who incidentally were also the only other smart and pragmatic people in the film.  Hey, throw Odysseus in there, and it's quite a party. Oh, what might have been!

 

In any case, I think Achilles actually had a lot of respect for Hector, but (hypocritically) got all up in his feelings over the death of his cousin (yet another dumb character).  Perhaps if they had fought under different circumstances, mercy would have the order of the day.  But Achilles was too far gone by the time of their battle.     

[Ariah]

Hector actually held his own pretty well against the demi-god. And it was a very nicely choreographed scene.

 

I enjoy most fight scenes from the first Bourne film (The Bourne Identity) - you could actually see the moves, no shaky cam. Pretty basic, but also quite realistic (up to the final scene with flying Matt Damon... But that's another matter.

 

In the first Lord of the Rings, the final fight when Aragorn takes on the Uruk-hai... Little flynning, a lot of serious mauling. Plus the accidental knife deflection that could have ended very badly if Viggo was not so lucky and skilled.

 

The Matrix, first part (again! What is it with the first instalments of film series that bring in something good and the sequels just ruin it ?). The whole sequence with neo and Trinity entering the building where Morpheus is held captive - well done.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

As a class, the old school Bruce Lee stuff is my favorite.  Sure, there's lots of whimsy and a wink of the eye, or three.  However, his outrageous ability and his trailblazing choreography remain the best combination for me. 

 

The "best" single fight is the knife fight in Saving Private Ryan between the cocky American and the incredibly great German soldier/warrior.   I actually had to look away a couple of times when I saw it first in a theater.  The final moments when the knife is being slowly pushed to pierce the loser's heart and the victor is shushing him as he would a little son he was trying to get to go to sleep is as haunting a cinematic moment as I have ever experienced.

[Ohwell]

I just can't watch that knife fight in Saving Private Ryan anymore.  Never want to see it again.

[DollEyes]

 

Ah man! Does it have to be a movie? Best fight scene for me is between Family Guy's Peter Griffin and the giant chicken.

 

  Since "Best Movie Fights" is in the title and I posted the TV counterpart in the "Everything Else TV" section, yes, it does.

 

  Speaking of which, from Pacific Rim, the finale fight between Jaegers Stryker Eureka and Gipsy Danger vs. the Category 5 kaiju Raiju was pretty awesome.

 

  Then there's the fight between Yoda and Count Dooku in Star Wars, Episode V: Attack Of the Clones, which was by far the best thing about it.

 

 Lest I forget, Ripley vs. the Queen Mother in Aliens. Classic, to say the least.

Edited June 10, 2014 by DollEyes

[ironclown]

I've always a soft spot for Jackie Chan's fight scenes in his movies, especially the Golden Harvest era movies. My thoughts were always along the lines of  "that was stupid of you guys to corner him in a hardware store". Nevertheless, I still think his best weapon is that small bench he always uses for blocking and trapping opponents.

[RedKoolAide]

Viggo Mortensen fighting buck naked in Eastern Promises. I had to first get over the shock of seeing Aragorn's penis. But I thought it was quite good considering he was naked and pretty much vulnerable without the barrier of clothes.

[Jeebus Cripes]

Johnny Cage vs Scorpion in Mortal Kombat is everything I want to see in a film fight. There are plenty of wide shots where you can see both opponents fighting side by side; as well as appropriately timed close ups for dramatic impact. Great choreography and an awesome set to really make the whole thing pop. Best fight in that movie considering one of the actors isn't even a martial artist.

Edited June 20, 2014 by Jeebus Cripes

[Dandesun]

 

The Star Wars prequels really over-egged the lightsaber duels, to the point that they just became dull and silly. Less is really more and, although I did like the choreography of Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul in the first movie, it did look too much like choreography and too little like a real fight. Especially considering Obi-Wan was supposed to be enraged by the death of Liam Neeson (can't remember his character's name). The fights in those movies say nothing about either character, they don't tell any emotional story, despite the limp attempts to, like with Anakin vs Christopher Lee (can't remember his character's name either). And without that emotional connection, they fall as flat as the rest of the movies.

 

Liam Neeson was Qui-Gon Jinn.

 

But you're absolutely right. The lightsaber fights in the prequels are very flash and, to an extent, I like them a lot. But none of them have the gravitas of the Luke/Vader fights in TESB and ROTJ. Empire's fight had an added layer of tension to it simply because you knew that Luke wasn't good enough yet to take on Vader and it became more and more apparent as the fight went on. And then the ultimate moment at the end. 

 

Then in Jedi... when Luke gives into his rage when Vader threatens to corrupt Leia to the Dark Side and just beats the shit out of Vader... until he cuts his hand off and pulls it all in, seeing himself walking down that same dangerous path.

 

I will say this about the prequels, though, for all of the flash and all of the failure, what it did do, for me, was truly solidify Luke as a hero. I liked Obi-Wan and Anakin's battled in Revenge of the Sith but mainly because Ewan McGregor played the hell out of Obi-Wan's disappointment and sorrow at what Anakin had become. The prequels added to the originals in an interesting way. They made Han Solo even more unique, they fleshed out Obi-Wan's story, they made Leia even more fierce, strong and awesome and they made Luke the ultimate hero. The fights maybe weren't as fancy but they had so much more emotion.

[Danny Franks]

 

Liam Neeson was Qui-Gon Jinn.

 

But you're absolutely right. The lightsaber fights in the prequels are very flash and, to an extent, I like them a lot. But none of them have the gravitas of the Luke/Vader fights in TESB and ROTJ. Empire's fight had an added layer of tension to it simply because you knew that Luke wasn't good enough yet to take on Vader and it became more and more apparent as the fight went on. And then the ultimate moment at the end. 

 

Then in Jedi... when Luke gives into his rage when Vader threatens to corrupt Leia to the Dark Side and just beats the shit out of Vader... until he cuts his hand off and pulls it all in, seeing himself walking down that same dangerous path.

 

Those were the key points of those fights, I agree. They happened so that the audience could learn something about Luke, and about Vader, and the connection between them. They weren't just gratuitous, 'here come the lightsabers, kids!' scenes, they were an integral part of the story. They moved the plot forward, and introduced new elements to it. The fighting itself was almost incidental to the actual story being told, and it felt to me like the lightsaber duel was the most appropriate way of illustrating what was going on within both characters.

 

Even in Star Wars, the fight between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader is powerful, despite it being between a guy who can hardly move due to the suit he's wearing, and a man in his 60s. Because it's not really about their lightsaber prowess at all. It's about the prior relationship between them, and their differing philosophies and beliefs. The lightsabers are just the props that they use to visualise their conflict.

[Raja]

It was 1973 after seeing many swashbucklers on TV I was in the theatre watching the pre credit sequence sword fight on The Three Musketeers thinking OMG that is really fighting and not dancing with swords. And then it turned out that d'Artagan was just sparing with his father

[DollEyes]

 Being the Wolverine fan that I am, I had to bump it up with two fight scenes. The first, from X2, was Wolverine Vs. Lady Deathstrike:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Hdubzs7kk

 

  The next, from The Wolverine, is the train fight-or rather, the  inside, outside and the top of the train fight:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odvLt7YmooU

Edited July 12, 2014 by DollEyes

[xaxat]

The fight scene itself is pretty good, but Daniel hitting the Crane Stance in The Karate Kid is awesome. The entire movie was a setup for that one moment, and it delivers. 

Edited July 12, 2014 by xaxat

[VCRTracking]

 

The Star Wars prequels really over-egged the lightsaber duels, to the point that they just became dull and silly. Less is really more and, although I did like the choreography of Obi-Wan vs Darth Maul in the first movie, it did look too much like choreography and too little like a real fight. Especially considering Obi-Wan was supposed to be enraged by the death of Liam Neeson (can't remember his character's name). The fights in those movies say nothing about either character, they don't tell any emotional story, despite the limp attempts to, like with Anakin vs Christopher Lee (can't remember his character's name either). And without that emotional connection, they fall as flat as the rest of the movies.

 

I can enjoy the fights whether they're based on choreography or emotions. 

 

The DVD commentary to The Princess Bride where either Rob Reiner or writer William Goldman talked about how do you top the early fight between Indigo and Wesley which had all these great choreography and acrobatics and they realized that the fight between Indigo and Count Rugen(the Sixth Fingered Man) actually is the greatest fight in the movie because of the emotions involved with Indigo finally avenging his father.

 

Liam Neeson also had an even better fight against Tim Roth in Rob Roy. Roth's style along with his whole attitude is frightening.

Edited July 13, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Rick Kitchen]

It's terrible video quality, but this is the sword fight to end all sword fights.  Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone in The Adventures of Robin Hood.

 

 

Flynn and Rathbone again, in Captain Blood.

 

[ketchuplover]

Bambi vs. Godzilla.  End of Topic.

[CaughtOnTape]

Wasn't a fight scene but it's the only scene in any movie where I actively felt the pain when it happened.

 

When Batman dropped Sal Maroni off the balcony and his ankles broke in The Dark Knight.

 

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGOUCH!

[Rick Kitchen]

Bambi vs. Godzilla.  End of Topic.

 

[DollEyes]

 

Bambi vs. Godzilla. End of Topic.

 

 No, it's not, for three reasons:

 

  From The Man With the Iron Fists, the fight between X-Blade and his enemies (warning: graphic violence):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7dt0-wID6A

 

  Next, from Blade, there's the final showdown between Blade and Deacon Frost:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taqnAzd1fyg

 

Last, but not least, there's the epic fight between Michelle Yeoh and Ziyi Zhang's characters in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OxQ-2gR1DU

Edited July 19, 2014 by DollEyes

[jellysalmon]

Ok there has to be a behind the scenes story behind Blade's "some motherfuckers are always trying to ice skate up hill" line. I love it, but it's so random! Are there even ice rinks that have slopes? How does it apply to this situation!?

[Joe]

I think it's just a metaphor for doing something stupid or impossible.

[AzureOwl]

I can also be interpreted as some people trying to do something (go uphill) in the most inefficient and imbecilic way possible (skating).

 

And more on the subject, one my favorite fight scenes in the movies is the Girl Scout bar fight in Airplane!

 

[DollEyes]

 I'm in a "Grindhouse" mood, so here are two of its best fight scenes (warning: graphic violence/language):

 

First, from Planet Terror, when El Rey rescues his ex-girlfriend from hospital zombies:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VP81mNyrQfY

 

Next is the final fight scene from Death Proof, which featured three badass chicks (including stuntwoman Zoe Bell as herself) vs. Kurt Russell's "Stunt Man Mike," the serial killer who killed their friends:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXowTxmhQ5w

Edited July 19, 2014 by DollEyes

[topanga]

I watched The Fugitive last night again because it came on TV again. I really liked the fight scene between Richard Kimble and the one-armed man. They didn't try to turn a middle-aged surgeon into an ass-kicking karate expert, so there was some realistic fumbling and bumbling going on. But Richard held his own with a professional (Hit-man? Ass kicker?) in a noble attempt to save his wife. I especially loved when he pulled off dude's prosthetic arm.

[xls]

Serenity-bar fight scene

 

Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon

[DollEyes]

One of the few funny things about Bringing Down the House was the fight scene between Queen Latifah's character Charlene and Missi Pyle's character Ashley, especially the latter's Tae-Bo moves:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qf9CYqz3Wg

[Bruinsfan]

While I'd probably rank that courtyard scene as the best one in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the night-time sword thief fight is worth some appreciation on its own:

 

 

(The final fight between her and Ewan MacGregor on the other hand was perhaps less impressive, both because of the sand and unstable footing and perhaps because he was less game for the stunt fighting.)

Yeah, during the climactic final fight of a movie I shouldn't be thinking "Come on, I could beat him up!"

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Bruce Willis vs. Karl Urban/RED: Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle"  fit that scene perfectly.

"Kordeski trained you?"

 

"Yeah."

"I trained Kordeski." *dislocates Cooper's shoulder*

[AzureOwl]

I loved all Matt Damon's fights in the Bourne series but my favorite is probably in Bourne Ultimatum when he finally catches up with the guy chasing Nikki. He beats him with like a book and towel or something crazy like that.

 

I will never forgive the Bourne series for popularizing the shaky cam for fight scenes. I freaking hate shaky cams!

[Joe]

I will never forgive the Bourne series for popularizing the shaky cam for fight scenes. I freaking hate shaky cams!

It popped up in Gladiator and Saving Private Ryan before Bourne. But yes, very annoying.

[briochetwist]

 

In the first Lord of the Rings, the final fight when Aragorn takes on the Uruk-hai... Little flynning, a lot of serious mauling. Plus the accidental knife deflection that could have ended very badly if Viggo was not so lucky and skilled.

 

That scene moved Viggo to the top of my list.  Awesome.

[arc]

John Wick has some really excellent choreography, seamlessly melding MMA type grappling with gunplay.

[DollEyes]

  This thread wouldn't be complete without mentioning both of John Travolta and Christian Slater's fight scenes in Broken Arrow, especially the last one on the train, with the bomb.

[DollEyes]

Bumping it up again with the spectacular prison riot from The Raid 2, in all its rainy, bloody, bone-crunching and muddy glory :

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhGc0kJoTbk

Edited December 29, 2014 by DollEyes

[Ronin Jackson]

Asian films should be dominating this thread, though I'll also give a nod to the French film already mentioned, "District 13".  I'll echo "The Raid" films as well, and classic Jackie Chan.  It's hard to pick a quintessential Chan scene, there are so many great ones to choose from, but this one from Miracles will do:

 

Tony Jaa was pretty awesome for a period.  This is a classic, not so much for the choreography but the ridiculous one take staging of it:

Another good one with an extended take about the 1:50 mark:

 

From the director of Tony Jaa's early films, another Thai film "Chocolate":

[xaxat]

Tony, from the excellent series Every Frame a Painting, explains why Jackie Chan is the master of combining action and comedy in the same scene.

 

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Viggo Mortensen fighting buck naked in Eastern Promises. I had to first get over the shock of seeing Aragorn's penis. But I thought it was quite good considering he was naked and pretty much vulnerable without the barrier of clothes.

 

        There was no other way to film that IMHO, unless they changed the location.

          

        Glad Cronenberg/Viggo had the stones to do it and I got me some nekkid Aragorn.   

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Christian Bale fucking up some goons in Equlibrium, with some epic Gunkata. 

 

All to protect an innocent puppy.

Edited December 30, 2014 by MrsRafaelBarba

[Gimmick Genius]

James Bond (Connery) versus Red Grant (Robert Shaw) in From Russia with Love.

[arc]

Tony Jaa was pretty awesome for a period.  This is a classic, not so much for the choreography but the ridiculous one take staging of it:

The staging and direction of the nearly four minute long take are technically audacious, but for sheer fighting prowess I prefer the first-second-third "boss fights" that cap off The Protector.

[DollEyes]

  There were some amazing fights in The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, but one of the best was the one with

the Stone Giants

.

 

There were also some great fight scenes in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and one of the best was the climactic battle between

Tauron and Azog

.

 

  Jackie Chan has had many great fight scenes and two great ones-the restaurant fight and the museum fight- were in the first Rush Hour.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2015 by DollEyes

[Ronin Jackson]

The staging and direction of the nearly four minute long take are technically audacious, but for sheer fighting prowess I prefer the first-second-third "boss fights" that cap off The Protector.

Yeah it's not going to be the best in terms of fighting prowess and choreography... but you can't really expect a four minute single take to have the level of bone crunching you would get from a scene with the benefit of cuts. There is still some mind boggling stuntwork in the scene considering it is a single take.

[spaceytraci1208]

I watched The Equalizer yesterday, and while I vastly prefer Man On Fire (Denzel's 2004 foray into bad-ass killer), the scene in the office above the Russian restaurant when he took out those 5 guys was pretty cool