The Best Fight Scenes of All Time
The top 10 movie fight scenes of all time.
Rules : It has to be individuals or a group fighting in (reasonably) close quarters, so no vehicle combat (Mad Max 2), no space battles (Return of the Jedi) ,and no epic warfare or sieges (The Return of the King).
10. Star Wars The Phantom Menace - Two Jedi vs Darth Maul
The best thing about the disappointing introduction to the Star Wars universe. When Darth Maul appears at the hangar doorway, and ignites his double-lightsabre… iconic. The subsequent fight really showed you Jedi fighting in their prime, a far cry from the two old geezers fighting in A New Hope (also a classic fight, but more for the dialogue than anything else).
9. Evil Dead 2 - Ash fights his own hand
After his hand becomes possessed by demons, Ash attempts to drown it (!?!), after which the hand goes on a rampage, using several hefty punches and every available piece of cutlery to knock Ash senseless. It eventually crawls across the floor towards a meat-cleaver, but Ash regains consciousness in time to hack his own hand off with a chainsaw screaming ‘Who’s laughing nowwwww???’
8. The Matrix - Morpheus teaching Neo how to fight
OF COURSE the Matrix was going to be in here, but for all the fights in it, (the Lobby shoot-out, Neo fighting Agent Smith, the highway chase, Neo fighting a hundred Agent Smiths and the whole of part 3) this is the one with the most ‘oomph’ to it. You can really feel each and every blow and the choreography is spotless. Great thumping soundtrack there too.
7. Grosse Point Blank - The School Corridor Fight
Two highly trained assassins fighting in close quarters, this fist-and-foot fight is not amazing for the sequences of moves but for the causality of it, every single action seems like the realistic response to the previous one. Watch it again; if you were that well trained, that’s how you would fight.
6. The Princess Bride - Inigo Montoya’s swordfight with the Man in Black
As much a battle of swords as a battle of wits, each delivered with such precise timing and surprise that you cannot watch this scene without smiling. Technically, there have been many many better swordfights (Crouching Tiger, the original Robin Hood..) but none as entertaining.
5. Aliens - “Fall back to Operations”
There’s signals moving in on the survivors location. Fifteen meters, ten meters. They retreat into the alarmingly red-lit Operations room. The signal gets closer.. according to the instruments it’s INSIDE THE ROOM… Hicks, the marine in charge, steps up to the ceiling panels and lifts one. Coming in from the space above are dozens of vicious alien xenomorphic terrors. The marines open fire as the creatures burst through the roof… savage amounts of ammunition are spent as they are assaulted from almost every direction.
4. The Fellowship of the Ring - Boromirs Last Stand
Boromir redeems all his flaws and temptations in this one scene, saving the hobbits Merry and Pippin from death at the hands of the orcs, and taking out dozens of the sub-human creatures before being taken down by bow and arrow. As he falls, Aragorn comes in and takes it a step further with a quick but brutal one on one fight with the lead orc. Ends with the best decapitation scene of recent cinema.
3. Oldboy - Corridor Fight
It’s one shot. Vicious and brutal, and it just keeps going. The problem with fights between one person and a large group is they are invariably unrealistic.. one or two people of the group attacking at a time or so.. But in this scene in Oldboy, you really believe this Korean avenger can take on a corridor of twelve grunts, get beaten and stabbed, and still come out fighting.
2. Airplane - The Girl Scout Fight
Striker is describing where he first met the girl of his dreams, Elaine; “I used to hang out at the Magumba bar. It was a rough place, the seediest dive on the wharf. Populated with every reject and cut-throat from Bombay to Calcutta.” The camera pans by, showing muggers, villains and scum. “It was worse than Detroit. The mood in the place was downright ugly. You wouldn’t walk in there unless you knew how to use your fists. You could count on a fight breaking out almost every night.” The camera shot ends on two girl scouts in the corner.. COMPLETELY out of place, these two girls start fighting and it’s nasty.. they’re breaking chairs over each other and everything! Hilarious, and pretty rough too..
1. Predator - Arnold vs the Predator
The last half hour or so of Predator is just one long fight between our hero and the alien jungle fighter. Two tough-as-a-brick-shithouse fighters in the most remote jungle possible, with Arnold playing his ultimate tough-guy role against the meanest hunter in the galaxy, using whatever he has at his disposal against the Predators sophisticated weaponry and technology. It ends with the Predator taking off its mask, revealing itself as ‘..one ugly motherfucker..’, and then throwing away its weapons to fight hand to hand with Arnie.
A controversial list no doubt - Disagree with something on the list or think something has been left out? - Leave a comment.
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Yay, Lara Croft in Ireland!
Feshti's back and this time he's counting down the top 10 movie opening scenes of all time.
Is American opinion and culture crowding out all others?
Tut tut…Predator at number one?
Where’s Edward Norton vs himself in Fight Club?
I’d also lash in Ichi the Killer for pure gore.
As much as I didn’t like the movie, Uma Therman vs Vivacia Fox in Kill Bill Vol 1 would probably make it also
Comment by Piaras Kelly — May 21, 2006 @ 4:08 pm
what about neo vs mr smith in the matrix reloaded? Or the even bigger fight between them in the matrix revolutions?
Comment by luuk van houtum — May 21, 2006 @ 5:34 pm
Hmmm.. I’ll have to agree with Piaras, Predator shouldn’t be number one. That being said, it’s almost certainly in there somewhere.
Funny as it was, I don’t think the girlscouts from Airplane should be in there. Although I always liked how they tumble past the screen at the end of the scene.
Bravo for thinking of the Princess Bride. I’d have forgotten it and it’s actually one of my favourite SCENES of all time, let alone fight scenes.
OLD BOY, which I only saw recently, is possibly the most original and best fight scene I’ve ever seen. That being said, Evil Dead 2 is always gonna get my vote, purely for the hillarity of watching Brucey throttle himself.
Lastly.. what about Rocky vs. Apollo? Admit it, you love it!
Comment by Seino — May 23, 2006 @ 12:05 pm
Im surprised that there’s no movies in there more than 25 years old. People have been making movies for 100 years. What gives?
Comment by tim — May 23, 2006 @ 12:17 pm
1. The Bride vs Crazy 88 in Kill Bill 1 (best fight scene ever)
… and why no Bruce Lee fights ???
Comment by Magnus — May 23, 2006 @ 1:16 pm
Ah here now… No Bruce Lee? No Jackie Chan? In fact, only 1 Asian martial arts fight in the list - and those guys actually do all the stuff you see, which has to give them bonus points.
Surely Jackie Chan in Police Story makes all 40 seconds of the Grosse Point Blank fight look pretty lame?
Comment by rOb — May 23, 2006 @ 2:47 pm
I can’t believe you left out Roddy Piper’s fight scene from They Live!
Comment by MacDara — May 23, 2006 @ 5:15 pm
one of the most shockingly brutal, memorable fights… see True Romance - James Gandolfini and Patricia Arquette.
I will not describe it…
Comment by Donagh Kiernan — May 26, 2006 @ 12:25 am
I like Boromir’s last stand…the way he keeps going as the arrows hit him.
Mind you, what about Ash’s Pikachu fighting the cloned Pikachu in Pok—-too far, sorry XD
Comment by Tomatan! — June 3, 2006 @ 7:02 pm
no bruce lee?
Comment by baphomeh — June 3, 2006 @ 7:53 pm
Two words:
Ong Bak
Comment by Torquemada — June 12, 2006 @ 12:52 pm
two more
the warriors
the part in the toilets
Comment by dagit — June 13, 2006 @ 12:14 am
No Kill Bill scenes
No Bourne identity scenes
No Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li or Chow Yun Fat
No Steven Seagal (asrehole but some good fights)
No scenes from the samurai classics such as Akira Kurosawa’s flicks
No Terminator fights
No Superman, Batman (or other superhero) fights
No Rocky
No scenes from Snatch
…
…
Very hard to make a good list anyway.
Comment by maca — June 13, 2006 @ 9:18 am
Yeah.. about the Asian cinema (Bruce Lee, Chow Yun Fat, Jackie Chan, etc… the GODS of fight scenes), there were so many, and so many I was unfamiliar with, I left them all out. They deserve their own list.
Terminator 2 and They Live very nearly made it. But in the end.. And as for Kill Bill.. yeah great movie but none of the fights really blew me away.
If I had to put another fight in, it would be King Kong vs three Tyrannosaurs in the recent Peter Jackson movie, that scrap made me giddy.
Rocky..? Snatch..? If one boxing fight gets in, it would be Raging Bull.
Comment by feshti — June 14, 2006 @ 9:07 pm
One of my all time favs,
Kiefer Sutherland vs Reese Witherspoon
from the move ‘ FREEWAY’
She be woopin’ some ass!
Great move if anyone hasn’t seen it yet!
Also, from an old bruce lee movie, although he wasn’t in it he just wrote it. David Carradine was in it though, from Kung fu.
The movie is called ‘Circle of Iron’. Carradine plays a blindman that helps this dude through all these different trials where he has to fight different poeple and even monkeys in order to get to a certain man that has a certain book thats supose to have all the answers in it. Really a great movie, saw it the first time when I was about 19 and it really blow me away….. I think the best fight sence are when he fights the monkeys. Really a great under rated little known film, get it if you can I’m sure you’l dig it!
Comment by dusty — June 18, 2006 @ 4:21 pm
The Princess Bride - Inigo Montoya’s swordfight with the Man in Black
Yes!
Loved that movie!
Comment by dusty — June 18, 2006 @ 4:24 pm
jet li vs donnie yen in O.U.A.T.I.N.C. 2
Comment by erkel — June 18, 2006 @ 4:51 pm
bruce lee v karim abdul jabar
Comment by erkel — June 18, 2006 @ 4:53 pm
[…] Fighting scenes….> […]
Pingback by DailyFil.com — June 18, 2006 @ 6:25 pm
hello, gladiator
Comment by jim — June 19, 2006 @ 4:13 pm
ong bak
never saw a better martial arts film
fight club himself vs. himself
never forget equilibrium
the list shuld be the 100best fighting scenes in no special order. some scenes you just cant compare
Comment by uqxtimbl — June 20, 2006 @ 6:51 pm
Man, top ten lists always stir it up and don’t really bother me but Gross Point Wank??? Jesus Christ bro that does not rank at all. You are completely off on that one. Biggest waste of Benny the Jet ever. Have you not seen Benny and JC’s scrap at the end of Wheel on Meals?
Comment by clamnuts — June 20, 2006 @ 8:41 pm
Here:
http://www.clamnuts.com/rants/
Comment by clamnuts — June 20, 2006 @ 8:47 pm
It might be a bit obscure outside of Asia, but the final fight scene in “Kung Fu Hustle” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074/combined) is one of my all-time favorites. Sing v. The Beast was as funny as it was intense. Nothing can beat the Buddha’s Palm.
Comment by Chris Chandler — June 23, 2006 @ 4:02 pm
[…] Rules : It has to be individuals or a group fighting in (reasonably) close quarters, so no vehicle combat (Mad Max 2), no space battles (Return of the Jedi) ,and no epic warfare or sieges (The Return of the King). […]
Pingback by LifeSlate » Blog Archive » The Best Fight Scenes of All Time — June 23, 2006 @ 11:35 pm
Seriously, gotta second the Rowdy Roddy Piper thing! Which also will claim a position on the most arbitrary lines in a movie, “I came here to chew gum and kick some ass…and i’m all out of gum!” Or something like that.
Comment by writergrrl11 — June 28, 2006 @ 3:40 pm
rockyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Comment by peter — June 29, 2006 @ 11:21 pm
Can I be pretentious and point out that Boromir’s last stand was ripped off from/a respectful tribute to Toshiro Mifune’s last stand in Akira Kurosawa’s “samurai Macbeth” Throne of Blood? Just thought you should know that.
Comment by Ryano — June 30, 2006 @ 2:11 pm
How about Hector (Eric Bana) vs. Achilles (Brad Pitt) outside the gates of Troy? That was a pretty epic fight, in every sense of the word!
On one of the special features of the DVD, they said the choreographers were kinda stuck when the script called for Achilles to “fight like a God,” though I’d say they did an admirable job.
Oooo–and how about Ryan Philippe/Benecio del Toro vs. Sarah Silverman in Way of the Gun? Gotta be one of the best scenes ever, action aside.
Comment by Hsizzay — July 6, 2006 @ 5:58 am
Shane
Comment by froggy57 — July 12, 2006 @ 11:15 pm
Hulk vs the dogs
Comment by froggy57 — July 12, 2006 @ 11:16 pm
Are you all to young to rember the fight scene in Blazing saddles where the old ladyright hooks the horse funny as f*”k
Comment by biggis dickis — July 17, 2006 @ 3:20 pm
Umm wow brutal top ten…
i mean what about Rocky vs. Apollo or Rocky vs. the Russian i mean come on now.
Or how about Mr. and Mrs. Smith-Brad Pitt vs. Angelina Joli.
There are soooo many more that i would of picked. This top ten blows
Comment by Ryan — July 23, 2006 @ 5:05 am
THEY LIVE
Rowdy Roddy leaves all others wearing panties.
Comment by The Truth — July 26, 2006 @ 12:54 am
This should be titled “Best Fight Scenes in Movies I’ve Seen”.
It seems like every list of “All Time” falls hilariously short, but this is one of the worst.
Yeah, next time you are sampling “Asian Cinema”, you may want to check into a couple of obscure actors: Bruce Lee and Jet Li. They appeared in a couple of small-time art films called “Enter the Dragon” and “Fist of Legend”, respectively.
What a waste of time.
L
Comment by Lornez Inez — August 1, 2006 @ 4:48 pm
Lornez Inez, what\’s your top 10 best fight scenes in movies of all time? In compiling your list, you should also include movies you have not seen. Lol.
Comment by tim — August 1, 2006 @ 8:15 pm
WHAT, NO SEAN PENN IN THE CLASSIC PRISON FLICK, BAD BOYS!
Comment by mike davis — August 12, 2006 @ 8:57 am
Equilibrium ppl! Final scene with Preston - how fkn awesome & inventive!
The Punisher - with Castle & Kevin Nash’s character - entertaining & brutal - vital aspects in a fight scene.
Comment by Hela — August 17, 2006 @ 5:21 am
Conan versus the guy who took his father’s sword.
“….you took my father’s sword…..”
Comment by Louis — August 17, 2006 @ 8:21 pm
matt damon and the russian that played on XXX the fight scene in the bourne supremacy that’s all i gotta say that scene kicks ass
Comment by nemobeast — August 20, 2006 @ 6:52 am
Ok I know Manga/anime arent exactlyy films in the true sense, but what about the awesome Jubei vs Gemmar fight at the end of Ninja Scroll? In no other film has a man had his arm broken and his body shattered and still rise to his feet and repeatedly headbutt his foe to death
Comment by walkerg — August 27, 2006 @ 1:49 pm
Viggo Mortensen vs. William Hurt’s Philly goon squad in “History of Violence”
Rocky vs. Clubber Lang/Drago/Tommy Gunn
Beatrix Kiddo vs. Vernita Green in Kill Bill 1
Jet Li in Fist of Legend
Ray Liotta vs. Kurt Russell at the end of Unlawful Entry
Any of the fights from Mortal Kombat
Any of the fights from Hero
Steven Seagal vs. Sticks in Out for Justice
George Clooney, Juliette Lewis, that Chinese kid vs. all the vampires at the end of From Dusk til Dawn
Well, the list goes on and on as you can imagine.
Comment by Milkman Fryer — September 20, 2006 @ 12:28 am
You missed this lego fight scene:
It’s gory.
Comment by Jdog — November 4, 2006 @ 9:56 pm
Hey how about arnold swarzenggar vs the alloy metal cyborg in Terminator 2..that was a pretty good fight scene in that huge metal works factory…cool CGI effects!
Comment by SWOE — November 17, 2006 @ 12:59 pm
can someone get the clip for the girl scout fight in Airplane. it was hilarious.
Comment by bob — November 19, 2006 @ 9:12 am
I think that if you include a kickass soundtrack together with an amazing fightscene it must be the fight between Neo an Mr Smith in Revolutions……music and fighting in perfect harmony
Comment by Joe Green — December 1, 2006 @ 3:12 am
Rocky should be on the list at least as 1 the best 5 instead of those rubbish films
Comment by Ali H — December 20, 2006 @ 12:20 pm
[…] Thing over at TCAL about the best fights ever. These things never bother me except this time. Gross Point Blank is included. I HATE that film and the lame little slapping match which made it into TCAL’s list. Irony of irony, the dude who he fights in GPB is Benny The Jet Urquidez who happens to be the baddie in my choice for the best ever fight in film. The clip below is from Wheels on Meals and fuck me that’s a scrap. […]
Pingback by Best fight scene ever » clamnuts rants — January 1, 2007 @ 6:18 pm
i dont know the best but i know the worst, what about jon claud van dam in bloodsport
Comment by MASTERMILESP — January 23, 2007 @ 4:10 pm
fuck that mother fucker you think your slick, one of the best lines from friday with ice cube and chris tucker
Comment by MASTERMILESP — January 23, 2007 @ 4:14 pm
Achilles vs. Hector in Troy should be included. Great prelude as Achilles rode with absolute resolve to battle, Hector had emotional encounters with family and friends, then traded words with Achilles before the fight. Outstanding moves, sound during the conflict, and the reaction of the Trojans added to the tension. I noticed that the audience was absolutely riveted during this battle scene. Just one of the best in movie history. Great overall movie, too.
Comment by Cliff — January 25, 2007 @ 6:02 am
ADD:
Monty Python’s Holy Grail - The Black Knight vs. King Arthur
Sin City - Mickey Rourke vs. Elijah Wood
Maybe something from the Highlander flicks
Chuck Norris (all)
http://www.progressiveboink.com/archive/fightscenes/50-26.html
Comment by g — January 25, 2007 @ 9:47 pm
Sean Connery vs. Robert Shaw in From Russia With Love should be on this list. But like someone already mentioned, these lists always seem to have a very short memory.
Comment by Radio Dan — January 26, 2007 @ 12:59 am
John Wayne vs. Victor McLaughlin, “The Quiet Man” - this extended, running battle fought under the “Marquis of Queensbury Rules” is one of my favorite fight scenes of all time.
James Caan vs. Kathy Bates, “Misery” - the most brutal I’ve ever seen. Maybe because a woman is involved (take that any way you want).
Colin Firth vs. Hugh Grant, “Bridget Jones’ Diary” and “Bridget Jones 2: The Edge of Reason” - Because this is how fights go in real life.
Daniel Day Lewis vs. Wes Studi, “The Last of the Mohicans” - more of a running battle along a ridge of the Appalachians, this 8 minute sequence turns out badly for everyone involved.
Ripley (and Power Loader) vs. The Alien Queen, “Aliens” - One of the great movie lines of all time is “Get away from her, you BITCH!”
Ralphie vs. Scott Farcus, “A Christmas Story” - my other favorite fight scene of all time, because it is so, so true.
Comment by JCF — January 26, 2007 @ 2:11 pm
Great list, but how could you forget about this?
Comment by Dan — January 26, 2007 @ 2:13 pm
Every hetero-sexual guy out there digs predator and understands the amazing quality of the fight in the last half-hour. I watch that movie building in anticipation for that point. As far as the matrix goes, big whoop. Im sorry, but I dont need cyber geeks prancing around and talking in raspy cool voices. I would take the princess bride fight over that anyday. Considerations? Yes, Kill Bill 1 has been mentioned and should be there, but might I also bring to light a scene from the big lebowski when walter goes ape-sh** and bites a german guys ear off. C’mon now lol!
Comment by Joshua Fehskens — January 26, 2007 @ 7:44 pm
For a person in their 20’s even I know one of the best fights in film is Sean Thornton vs. Red Will Danaher in John Wayne’s classic, “The Quiet Man.”
Also Brandon Lee vs. Al Leong in the second to last fight scene in “Rapid Fire”. That was two guys trying really hard to outbox each other.
And need we forget the crazy climactic fight scene toward the end of “Big Trouble in Little China”? This was years before Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.
Comment by Chuckles — January 28, 2007 @ 9:19 am
I dunno, I’ve seen a really cool fight scene between Benny “The Jet” and Jackie Chan in “Wheels on Meals”. The fight between those two was about point blank fast, but yet so perfect in each way. I mean come on, “The Jet” is a reigning champion who was undefeated for 27 years in fighting. You know it’s a good explosive fight scene between these two.
Comment by Ice — February 4, 2007 @ 7:07 am
Peter and the chicken in family guy. Rounds one and two !!!
Comment by Ninja — February 5, 2007 @ 9:49 pm
you cant have a list like that without the end fight scenes between obi wan and anakin in the revenge of the sith. ditch maul he was good but the last fight of the episodes was genius
Comment by MR-B0NES — February 6, 2007 @ 7:32 pm
inventive list.
Comment by patrickmh — February 21, 2007 @ 12:37 pm